Little Blue Riding Hood
by Xaphrin
Summary: When Mumbo attacks Speedy and Raven, they find themselves in the middle of the oddest fairy tale ever. With companions like the redheaded Rapunzle, the super-fast gingerbread man, and the little mer-man, how could this tale get any weirder?
1. New Lands and a Cat

When Mumbo attacks Raven and Speedy (again) they find themselves in the middle of the most ridiculous fairytale ever. With companions like a redheaded Rapunzle, the super-fast gingerbread man, and the little merman, how could this adventure get any weirder? Oh yeah, arrow-toting "Robin Hood" has the hots for Little Blue.

**Little Blue Riding Hood**

_Chapter One: In Which Robin Hood and Little Blue Discover a New Land and Meet a Cat_

Raven threw open the door with a bang and tumbled into the dark alley behind the club. The noise and stench of liquor, cheap perfume, and cigarettes followed her into the darkness outside, but at least the emotions didn't swarm her anymore. She could finally grasp onto a few snippets common sense and her own thoughts. Raven ran a shaky hand through her hair and tried to calm her furiously beating heart. Whose idea was it to go out to a _club_? And why, in all of the nine hells, did she agree?

And _why,_ oh_ WHY_, did the Titans East have to be here? Raven thought she was done with him. That whatever had happened between them three months ago had been a fluke. A bubble of strange emotions that had been popped, never to resurface again. But he stood there, in the corner of the club, eyes boring into her until she felt _hot_. Like her skin was on fire and she was naked to only him. Why had she let him kiss her those three months ago?

Raven pressed her forehead against the cool, brick wall, grateful for the distraction. The emotions were running rampant in that stupid club, and the feel of it all running down her spine made her want to throw up. Roy being here didn't help, either. She looked deeper into the alley and saw two figures doing _something_ in the shadows against the wall. Great. Because, that helped too.

She took a few, deep lung-fuls of air and tried to ignore the way her body trembled under all the _feelings_. The stupid couple in the alley, the dregs of the drunken passion from inside the club, and the fact the every time she closed her eyes all she saw was Roy's honey-colored gaze staring back at her, engulfing her in heat. Damnit. She was _so_ stupid.

"You okay?"

Raven's heart fell into her stomach and she turned around to face the bane of her existence. The one who had haunted her thoughts nearly every night. She swallowed some air and took a step away from him, but ended up pinned against the wall. Just like last time. She forced a frown and tried to grab onto the last few shreds of sanity that were left in her. "Fine. Just needed some fresh air… Are you… enjoying the party?" Damnit. Why did she say that? Now, she was going to have to carry on a conversation with him. In the tower it had been easy to avoid him, pretending that there were other things going on that needed her attention. But here in this alley… she had no defenses against him.

Roy shrugged. "It's alright. I think everyone and their mother is drunk off their high horse in there, and if I smell any more cheap perfume and sweat, I swear I'm gonna hurl." He gave her a curious look, when she kept unusually silent. "Are you sure you're okay, Raven? I saw you get out of there real quick. I wanted to make sure everything was okay." He paused and tried to look into her eyes, but Raven managed to keep hidden underneath her hood.

"Fine." Raven repeated.

"Mm." Roy leaned against the wall next to her, blocking the opening into the street. "You know what they say about being fine?" Raven shook her head, hoping this would be the end of their conversation. She could at least _hope_. "Fucked-up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. F.I.N.E."

Raven rolled her eyes and gave him her best death-stare. "How very mature, Roy."

"You looked like you were ten seconds from killing someone." Roy pushed himself to his feet and watched her, trying to decide if she was really okay. Raven swallowed hard and tried to burry herself deeper into her cloak. He needed to stop looking at her, especially with when his eyes reminded her of warm honey. "Well, at least I thought I was being nice by trying to save someone's life."

"No, now you're just being an ass." Roy frowned in response to her words, and Raven almost swore she saw a glimmer of hurt in his eyes before being covered up by his fake smile, the one she saw him use around Robin. She cringed and looked away, more upset with herself than with him. She didn't need to be _rude _to him, she just needed to avoid him. At all possible costs.

"So…" He looked her up and down, and Raven felt her heart skip a beat at the appreciative look he was giving her. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. She might not need to be rude, but he didn't need to leer either. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Raven, a member of the Titans." She rolled her eyes. "I haven't ever dressed up for Halloween, and I never will. I _like_ being me, thank you very much, _Robin Hood_."

"Jeez." Roy rolled his eyes and took a step back, putting well-needed space between them. Raven managed to steal a few fresh breaths before he continued. "You're touchy this evening, Raven. I haven't seen you in months and you bite my head off at every little comment. What's wrong?"

"I just… I just don't do well around a lot of people, and there's a lot going on here, and everyone is drunk and feeling up on each other, and…" She took a long deep breath, watching the concerned expression pass over Roy's face. Great, now she made him concerned. "I'm sorry to just vent, it's just this is driving me close to insane." She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away, hoping he didn't see the lie in her eyes. "And I'm getting a headache from all of this emotion."

"Oh, that's an easy fix. Come here." Roy, without being asked or invited, stepped right into her personal space, pushing her against the wall. Oh no. Raven's breath hitched and her heart sped up as flashbacks of their last encounter started to resurface. She remembered the taste of toasted marshmallows, and he pushed down her hood, and slipped his fingers behind her neck, burying in her hair. His fingertips ran slow, deep circles into her neck, easing the tense muscles. Raven closed her eyes, tried to pretend this wasn't happening.

But it was.

And it was heaven.

"I was actually hoping to get you away from everyone for a while…" His voice was pitched low and Raven thought the sound was going to turn her into a puddle. Her eyes swept up to meet his and she felt color rise to her face as he leaned closer to her. The scent of clean air and pine and filled her senses and Raven wondered if her legs had given out yet. Roy's fingers started to press deeper and he moved closer. "I… I haven't seen or heard from you in three months. I thought maybe we could…" Roy's sentence dropped off and he looked sheepish. He cleared his throat and started again. "Even when I visited the tower you avoided me, and don't try and say you didn't."

"I won't deny that I've been avoiding you. I've… had other things to think about." Raven somehow managed to wiggle out of his embrace. Roy sighed and stared at her, his arms falling limply to his sides. Raven stood straight and tried to pretend that she didn't care, that this wasn't hurting her, and that she hadn't dreamt about his kiss. She really hoped she looked a lot stronger than she felt.

"So, _what_?" Roy knitted his eyebrows together and stared. "We're going to pretend that it-"

"I'm not talking about it." Raven frowned and turned away from him, pulling her hood up to hide in the folds of her cloak again. But she could still feel his gaze burning into her, and it didn't help soothe the guilt that laced her heart. "It was just a kiss. It was an accident from both of us and I won't let it get between our duties to the cities we protect."

Roy frowned and a hiss escaped his lips. "So, that's all it was to you? An accident?" He punched the wall and Raven flinched at his forcefulness. "Just a mistake that shouldn't have happened?"

Raven cringed at the tone, but she forced herself to look at him. He was angry, but Raven couldn't find it in her to be upset with him. He had every right to be furious. "Yes. An accident. We got on the wrong subject and we let our emotions get the better of us. We should have been smarter and realized it was nothing more than just _emotions_ playing tricks on us." She could feel the anger rolling off him in waves, and it made her sick to her stomach.

"I… you… forget it. Whatever." Roy turned away from her and threw open the door to head back inside Raven watched with remorse as he hesitated. He glanced inside and paused before his foot crossed the threshold, then turned back to Raven. He let the door close and he stormed over to her. "You know what?" He pressed his face close to hers, and snarled. Raven glared back at him. "_No_. It wasn't an accident. You let me kiss you."

"I _what_?" Red crossed her vision, and Raven pointed a finger at him. She was pretty sure she heard a trash can explode in the distance. "I did no such thing! You pinned be against the wall and kissed me. I didn't even ask for it!"

"You could have put up a fight."

"And risk killing you? Bee would have had my head!"

"This isn't about Bee. It's just you and me, don't try and bring someone else into this!"

"I wasn't!" Raven, frustrated and angry, shoved at his shoulders. He took a step back, but continued to glare at her. Raven tried to calm down, but his sour words had already taken root. She took a step back, putting more space between them. That was exactly what she needed, more space. "You're just trying to piss me off, aren't you?"

"Ugh!" Roy threw his hands in the air and glared at her. Raven saw the hurt under his anger and she felt her heart drop into her stomach. She didn't want to keep hurting him, but this had to stop. This couldn't happen between them. He was her friend, she had her duties to think about, she just… _couldn't_. "I swear, Raven. You have no idea what I've been thinking about these past few months and now you want to say it was just a stupid accident?"

"Yes." Raven tried to look strong, but Roy kept glaring at her and she was starting to whither. "We have jobs to worry about, cities to protect, people to save. I… we…" She motioned to the space between them, feeling like she was locking her heart away forever. "This can't happen."

The fire in his eyes faded and he shook his head. "You just don't want it to happen."

Raven tried to say something, but she kept silent.

"Whatever." Roy started back to the ally door, and Raven tried to watch him go, but her heart started to shatter. She looked away, knowing that her decision was the best one. Roy would forget about her and move on, and Raven would devote herself to the city she promised to save. But still… did it have to hurt this bad? Raven stole a glance at the drunken couple hiding in the shadows at the end of the alley, sighing.

Wait. That wasn't a couple. She caught an unusual flash of blue and white in the darkness and Raven's stomach sank to the floor. That was much more than a lusty couple. Oh no. Since when did _he _escape? She glanced at the club, and noticed a few of the bricks were turning a pale shade of blue. Something clicked into place.

"Roy!" Raven chased after him as he threw open the heavy steel door. This was going to end badly. "Don't go in there, it's-" She didn't have the chance to tell him what it was. She tripped, bumped into his back, and the two of them when careening over the threshold. There was a flash of blue magic and the noises and scents of the city disintegrated into the soft sounds of an ancient forest. The loud techno was replaced by the music of a gentle breeze through the trees, the laser lights gave way to early-morning sunlight filtering through green leaves.

The pair went tumbling head-over-heels down a dirt path, before stopping at the roots of a very old tree. Raven kept her eyes closed and managed a whisper. "A trap." She popped one eye open and looked into the masked face of Roy, who had managed to land on top of her. He groaned and rolled off her, clenching his eyes shut.

"Please… please don't tell me that this is what I think it is." He pinched the bridge of his nose and rose to his feet.

"I… I think it is." Raven sat up and groaned. She rubbed her lower back where a root had jammed into her spine. "I'm sorry, Roy… I should have noticed it was him before. I shouldn't have been so distracted."

"How could you have…" Roy popped one eye open, then another, and then his mouth fell to the floor. Raven blinked and stood up, frowning. Why was he looking at her like that? Oh no, did Mumbo turn her into a rabbit again? That was just what she needed, to be powerless _and _a rabbit, _again_. Roy managed to find his voice. "What in the world are you _wearing_?"

"What?" Raven looked down at herself and felt cold shock enter her bones. If possible, this was worse than being a rabbit. She was dressed in a white, off-shoulder blouse under a black mini-dress with a fluffy blue petticoat peeking out. Raven stared down at her legs, which were covered with white knee-high stockings and black patent leather platform heels. Her hands went to the edge of her cape, which had been shortened to her waist and edged with black lace. "Am I… in a dress? With lace?"

Roy could only nod.

"Stop staring!" She stomped one foot, but teetered on her heels and had to hold onto the tree for balance. Her hood fell off and Raven could have _sworn _she felt tight ringlets of her hair tumble down to her shoulders, but she was too surprised to check. Righting herself, she glared at her companion, who was still staring at her in shock. "This isn't _funny_, Roy."

"I wasn't laughing."

"I… er…" Raven stomped her other foot, and managed to keep herself upright this time. She tried to pull the skirt down closer to her knees, but it kept bouncing back to mid-thigh height. Growling, Raven turned to glare at Roy, and frowned as he kept watching her. "Stop looking at me like I'm some kind of freak."

"That wasn't the _exact _word that was running though my mind." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels, and Raven could feel the familiar heat from his appreciative stare. She flushed bright pink and looked away. "Although… the look suits you. Like a little gothic Blue Riding Hood."

"Ha-ha." Raven rolled her eyes and walked into the middle of the path and started looking around for any kind of clue as to where they were and _why_ she was dressed like this. Also, she was hoping she could find Mumbo and throttle him for this pathetic "joke". She walked a little ways down the path, listening to the crunch of gravel as Roy followed close behind. "So, why didn't _you_ get a costume change?"

"Don't know."

"Ssssayyy… haven't seeeeen yoooouuuu arouuuuund heeeree beeeeeforrrre."

Raven and Roy stopped walked and turned to face each other. Roy shook his head and shrugged before drawing his bow and cocking an arrow into place. Raven blinked a few times and pointed to his arrow. She could see the same shock cross his own features. "Your tips are… that's a _real_ arrow, Speedy."

"What in the…"

"Morning. Or afternoon. I always get the two confused."

Raven jumped back as a pair of blue eyes appeared in front of her, followed by the distorted body of a pudgy blue cat. It was hovering in the air as it grinned and rolled over onto its back. Raven could have sworn it had the same obnoxious hooked nose as Mumbo. "Are you here to slay the dragon? Or save the princess? Or are you here to find the golden goose?"

"None of those options. We just need to get home." Roy kept the arrow pointed at the cat, but it didn't seem fazed by the threat. He glanced at his nails, then back at the mismatched pair in front of him.

"Oh… well, I'm sad to say that you can't get home until you complete at least one task." He grinned again and Raven got the distinct feeling she was going to commit murder sometime today. She always wanted a blue, fur stole. "But I'm not sure what task that is. Maybe you're supposed to rescue the princess… maybe not. It's always hard to say."

"Who are you?" Raven asked carefully, worried of the response she would receive.

"Just… someone. No one in particular." He blinked at her, his smile turning from amused to sly. Raven felt her stomach drop and she watched the cat roll around again. "Do you know who you are?"

"Raven and that's Speedy."

"BZZ BZZ. Wrong!" He paused and looked over at Roy, who still hadn't moved his bow yet, before looking back at Raven. "I'll give you a hint, grandma's girl. You make a tasty lunch and have to rely on the help of a woodsman to free you. And you." The cat motioned to Speedy. "You steal from the rich and give to the poor, and your aim is the best in the land."

"Ha. Told you, Little Blue." Roy, in spite of the seriousness of the situation, grinned at his companion. Raven rolled her eyes, but Roy continued to ask questions. "What did you say about the dragon? Do we have to defeat the dragon?"

"I don't know… it's all very mysterious." The cat chuckled as if Roy told a funny joke. "Besides, do you think you're _ready_ to fight a dragon in a world you are not from?" Raven and Roy looked at each other, and Raven shook her head. The cat chuckled again. "It's safer this way, don't you think?"

"So, if we don't know what we're supposed to do, where do we start?" Raven crossed her arms over her chest and glared, but the cat just grinned back at her.

"Why, from the beginning, of course. That's where starting usually starts. Left or right… it will be the beginning." The cat then just disappeared and Roy let his arrow fly into its fading form. It slid right through the blue shape and landed in the bark of a near-by tree. He cursed underneath his breath and pulled the shaft free. Raven watched as he glared at the sharp, metal tip.

"What in the hell was that about?" He placed the arrow back in his quiver and walked back to Raven.

"I don't know! Apparently we're supposed to complete some kind of task to get out of here." She pushed her hair out of her face, trying not to scream at the top of her lungs. What had just _happened_ to them? Not ten minutes ago they were in Jump enjoying a nice, relatively normal, Halloween. And now they were in some freaky, distorted fairy land where she had to slay dragons and save princesses. And further more, what had happened to their friends? "Well, at least this is better than last time."

"Mm." Roy growled and started down the path. Raven sighed and chased after him.

"I… Roy, wait up!"

"What, Raven?" He whipped around and glared at her. Raven stopped running and took a step back. The angry fire from before had returned to his eyes, and Raven was pretty sure she had opened a can of worms with her thoughtless comment. Roy leaned back on his heels and regarded her carefully, as if she was going to say something mean. If he kept staring at her like that, she would. "I thought you didn't want to talk about what happened last time."

"_Now_? You're going to bring this up now?" She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Of course he would do this to her. When they were in the most bizarre situation, it was okay to bring up something that had nothing to do with anything. Well, it had a lot to do with _something_ but it wasn't something Raven wanted to think about now, not when there was strange, unknown danger around them. "I can't believe you. We're stuck in this stupid world and our friends could be in danger, but you're throwing a temper tantrum over our… non-relationship." The words speared his heart, and Raven could see him wince as if he'd been hit. Okay, maybe that had been a little _too_ mean.

"Fine." Roy stepped up and pressed his nose close to hers. She blinked up at him and managed a small step backward, trying to put more space between them. He just growled and closed the space again. "You want to be just teammates, I can be your teammate. If that's all you want, I can do that for you."

But, that wasn't what she wanted. She still wanted him as her friend, as a companion. Raven just wasn't sure if she could have a relationship with him when they had so many responsibilities elsewhere. When they had cities to save, or even more immediate, friends they couldn't find. She blinked up at him and frowned. "I… I want you to be my friend, Roy. I thought that's what we were."

"I don't want to be your friend." The words punctured Raven's heart, and she took a step back feeling a tear start to gather at the corner of her eye. If he didn't want to be her friend, why bother making such valiant speeches? Roy could see the hurt and he shook his head, sighing. "I want to be something more. You get that or nothing more than a fighting comrade."

"That's a terrible ultimatum. You can't _force_ me to … feel for you." Too late. The boy had already won that battle.

Roy raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "But you can force me to _not_ feel for you?"

Touché. "Look… we've got a lot to worry about right now. Maybe this isn't the best time to discuss this. But… Roy, I just…" She sighed and pulled her hood up over her head, glad to have something familiar to her in this strange world. Hiding in the folds of her cloak had always been like a security blanket, and right now she needed something secure. "What happened last time… I… it haunts me, and I don't want us to be hurt."

Roy opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out and he sighed again this time in defeat. "Later. We'll talk about this later. Until then, we've got to figure out what we're supposed to do here and where the others are."

"Okay." Raven looked up at him. "So… where do we start, right or left?"

"From the beginning."

)O(

_So, here it is! My next project of ridiculous proportions! If you have any questions as to the "Last Time" Roy and Raven keep talking about, it's in refrence to my story Curiosity. This is kind of meant to follow that but I don't think it plays an imperative roll in understanding the story._

_I have to give credit where credit is due. This story was heavily influenced by_ 999_'s "Li'l Red Riding Hood" (which is a kick-ass song) and _titangirl797_'s Speedy/Raven story __Robin Hood__ and was prompted (to write a chaptered Rae/Roy story) by _TeenTitansGirl_. But even if you are impartial to the pairing, I promise it will be amusing and filled with all kinds of… _whatever_ it is that I write._

_Oh, and "Rated T for Terrible" I swear if you keep haunting my stories with your obnoxiousness, I will hunt you down and beat you with a foam bat. _

_Thank you everyone for your intrest! I promise you won't be disappointed. _


	2. A Tower and a Goat

**Little Blue Riding Hood  
**_Chapter Two: In Which Robin Hood and Little Blue Discover a Tower and Save a Goat_

)O(

They headed left. In all honesty, if Raven knew what was going on, and if she hadn't been in a dress, she might have enjoyed the walk. It was peaceful and quiet, and the sunlight filtered through the trees like liquid gold to pool in pretty shapes along the path. She glanced ahead and watched her companion move carefully down the dirt and through the underbrush. If Raven was _really _honest with her self, she would have admitted that there was something calming about just strolling through the woods with Roy.

Even though he wasn't talking to her.

Raven sighed and pushed her hood off. He had barely said two words to her for the past hour, and she was beginning to feel like she'd done something terrible. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, she only wanted him to understand how she felt about relationships. Especially those between team members. There was more at stake than a few broken hearts, there were cities and innocent people. Relationships made things complicated, and their lives were complicated enough. "Are you going to be mad at me this whole time?"

"Maybe." Roy turned to look over his shoulder. He caught her surprised gaze and stopped walking. There was a moment of silence as he tried to decide what he next move would be. Finally, he sighed and approached her, putting his fingers underneath her chin to tilt her face towards his. Raven almost choked on her heart as she stared up at him, caught between the urge to flee and the urge to kiss him. She settled on blushing and turned away. "Stop, being upset, Little Blue. I'm sorry for getting angry. We agreed to talk about it later, so I'll cheer up for now if you will."

Raven frowned and pulled away. "I'm not a cheerful person, you know that. And stop calling me that stupid name, it's obnoxious." She took another step back, putting more space between them, and they needed space. Roy was going to drive her mad if she let him get away with what he was doing. Raven put her hands on her hips and sighed. "We've been walking for almost an hour and we haven't found anything."

Roy took another step back and stared at her, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I beg to differ."

"You're such a cad." Raven managed to hide her blush, and she rolled her eyes at his stupid comment. "Regardless of what _you've_ 'found', we are still running this journey without any idea as to where we are going or what we are doing. For all we know, we might have to fight a _dragon. _And, furthermore, we haven't seen hide nor hair of any of our friends. They could be in a million different places that _we_ aren't."

"Well, right now we are walking, so at least we're moving in some kind of direction." Roy grabbed her wrist and started along the path again. Raven turned to him and felt color flood her cheeks again. Did he have to keep touching her? And why did it feel like a brand on her heart? "If we just keep moving, we'll have to stumble across something… soon?" Roy stopped suddenly and peered around a tree. There was a moment of awkward silence before he turned back to her. "Well… I think we may have found something."

Raven walked around the same tree and stared into the middle of a very green filed with an impressive ivory-colored tower rising like a giant… well, like a giant phallic from the ground. A strange, and painful moaning sound was coming from the top of the tower, and Raven could recognize that sound anywhere. It was Starfire trying to sing. Raven looked over and Roy and motioned to the tower. "Well, I'd have to agree with you. We certainly found _something_."

"Is that… _singing_ I hear? Or is someone sacrificing a goat?" Roy looked over at Raven and she shook her head.

"Or something like that." Raven chewed on her lower lip. Ivory tower in the middle of thick woods, no way up and no way down… "Rapunzel."

Roy turned to stare. "God bless you?"

"No, you dork, _Rapunzel_. The story about the princess who was locked in the tower because she was too beautiful, so she grew out her hair and waited for her prince to come and save her? And the prince climbed up her hair… remember?" Raven rolled her eyes at the familiar blank expression on his face. Only Roy would be completely oblivious to the story of Rapunzel. "It's only a story I'm sure you heard a million times in elementary."

"I never paid that much attention."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You never read Grimm, did you?"

"I think once, when I lost a bet."

"Well, long story short, it pretty much ends in gore and misery." She caught his surprised stare and continued. "The prince visits the princess every night in her tower. But the witch who put the princess there finds out and banishes the princess to wander through the words alone. Then the witch tricks the prince into coming up the tower and the witch's cat scratches out his eyes and he wanders blindly through the woods for years."

"Lovely."

Raven shrugged. "At least they find each other and live happily ever after."

"With a blind prince who couldn't enjoy her beauty? That seems pointless."

"Don't be beautiful then."

"Well that's difficult to do."

Raven rolled her eyes and turned back to the tower. The strange, guttural noises came again. Roy looked over at Raven, cringing from the noise. "Are you _sure_ that's singing?"

"Yes. It's Starfire attempting to remember 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'." She caught Roy curious stare and shrugged. "She likes to sing in the shower."

Roy snickered. "I bet that's an interesting wake-up call."

"You have _no idea_."

Roy sighed and motioned to the tower. "So, that's Starfire up there."

Raven nodded. "I would bet my petticoat on it."

In spite of the situation, a sly grin came across his face. "I'll take that bet and raise you a pair of panties."

"Shut up." Raven pushed at his shoulders, putting space between them. He needed to stop that, or she was going to kill him. She turned to stare at the tower and sighed. "How in the hell are we going to get up to her?"

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair?"

Raven placed her hands on her hips and stared at him. "So you _have_ read it."

"It's coming back to me."

"Well…" Raven chewed on her lower lip and glanced back at the tower. The sun was making its way towards the edge of the horizon, but there were still a few more hours until nightfall. If they acted too quickly, it could have disastrous results. Raven rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache start to form. Why this? She could have taken anything but _this _and with _Roy _of all people. Because Mumbo's attack last time wasn't enough, let's throw them into a freakishly distorted fairy-tale and then put her into a dress that looked like it belonged in the "Naughty Costume" section of a lingerie store. She turned back to Roy, who was watching her, waiting for a suggestion on their next move. "What if the 'witch' is still there? After all, it's still light out."

"Do you think the witch is Mumbo?"

Raven shrugged. "Probably."

"Great." Roy growled and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Should we wait until night?"

"What if it doesn't come?" He frowned at Raven and she shook her head, sighing. "Look, we don't control anything in here. Example: I'm powerless and in a _dress_, and you're toting around _real_ arrows. Who's to say the sun actually goes down? Furthermore, who's to say that _we're_ supposed to save Starfire? What if _we're _supposed to slay a dragon and this is Robin's job?"

Roy rolled his eyes at the mention of Robin's name, but kept his comments to himself. He was getting better at least. "I don't know any more than you do, all I know is that either Starfire is up there, or someone is making a sacrifice to a pagan god. What _we _are supposed to do, I can only guess. But Starfire is there and we might as well help her. Because, what if this _is _our job and we don't do it because we think it isn't?"

"Good point." Raven stole another glance at the horizon. "So, now what? Do we just wait?"

"I don't know. I just shoot arrows, _you're _the one with the brain." Roy crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels. Raven turned to him, frowning. He wasn't being very cooperative, and she knew why. If they were going to wait, he was going to demand an explanation as to why they couldn't explore the possibility of being a "couple". Raven wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him her reasons. What if it ruined the rest of their quest, or more importantly, what if it ruined everything their teams had built?

"Let's go get her now. No use in waiting." Raven started for the field, but Roy grabbed her wrist. She turned and glared at him, glad her powers didn't exist here. She would have killed him on the spot if she could. "I'm not waiting around just so we can talk about this." She motioned to the empty space between them and Roy's eyes narrowed. "We've got more important things to do, like… oh, I don't know, _saving Starfire_?"

"You promised we would." Roy's voice was more accusing than pleading, and it just angered Raven more. She yanked her arm away from him and tried to enter the field again. But, Roy was quicker than she was, and he blocked off her path. "Stop running away from me!" His voice trembled slightly and Raven took a step back. He stared at her, chest heaving under gasps of angry breaths. Raven had never seen anyone look so frightening and so attractive at the same time, and she had so swallow her pounding heart that lodged in her throat. "You run away every time something doesn't go the way you want it. Last time we were here you kept doing the same damn thing. Just…" Roy ran his hand through his hair and growled. "Just… own up to something and stop jerking me around."

"I'm not _trying_ to jerk you around…" That came out a lot weaker than what she wanted. His honey-colored eyes looked into hers, and she could see the incredulity there. Raven rubbed her arm and took a step back into the thick tree-line, Roy followed. "It's dangerous to have a relationship between teammates, Roy. We start to put our friends at risk every time we go into battle because we would let our feelings for one another cloud our decisions. We _can't_ do this."

Even without her powers, she could feel the anger radiating off him and Raven cringed. He was furious with her, but she couldn't blame him for that. Roy crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. "So, this is it then? I'm a fighting companion and nothing more?"

Raven tried to say something, but it couldn't come out quite right, so she kept silent. Roy frowned and she stated at the ground, suddenly finding the dirt more interesting. She could almost hear the sadness and anger breaking him, but she stuck to her decision. It was better this way, wasn't it?

"Fine. If that's what you want, that's what you get. But, I'm doing this one last time." Raven looked up at Roy, trying to understand his words. There was no need. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against a tree with surprising force. Raven's heart picked up speed and the bark dug and clawed at her skin, but it just heightened her senses even more. Her lips parted as shallow breath escaped. It was happening again, and there was nothing Raven could do to stop it. Roy grabbed her face and pressed his lips against hers, and every intricate and torrential memory of their first kiss came crashing back to her.

Their first kiss had been hot, needy, and insistent against her lips and against her body. She remembered the shreds of breathy moans that escaped her lips as he did such wonderful things to her. But this one tasted different. It was sad and desperate… it was so lonely. As if this was Roy's last resort to some how win her over. Raven wanted to cry as she felt his rough hands burry into her hair, holding her so close, but so gently. Could she really say "no" to this? Could she really turn away from what he was offering her?

Roy's tongue swept inside her mouth and she moaned. He knew what he was doing. Not only was he a skilled kisser, but he knew he was tearing down every one of her defenses. He knew that he was slowly breaking her resolve into tiny, insignificant pieces. One of his hands wandered down the side of her body, tracing each shape with his fingertips like an artist admiring a sculpture. He nibbled on her lip and pulled away, eyes searching hers.

Raven tried to say something, but she still couldn't find any words.

"I'm going to keep kissing you until you give in to me."

Damnit. That wouldn't take long.

Roy leaned in and kissed her again, and this time it was just as hot at their first. His lips strayed from her mouth to find interesting hollows and sweet-spots on the wide expanse of porcelain skin. His tongue traced the shape of her ear and Raven thought her knees gave out, but she wasn't sure. Roy's body had pressed her so tightly against the tree, that there was nowhere to go but up. He nipped at her ear-lobe before trailing kisses down the side of her neck, his tongue running along her pulse. He nipped at her collar bone before pulling away slightly.

"Give in yet?"

Raven blinked at him, trying to string the words he said into a coherent sentence. She didn't quite make it. "No?"

"I guess I'll have to keep kissing you then."

"No, stop." Raven's hands feathered against his chest, as if she wasn't sure if she should stop him or not. "I… er…" She stared up at him and Roy just looked down at her, waiting for her to say something. There was a long pause as he weighed her silence. Raven tried to wiggle out of his embrace, but he refused to let her go. "We'll talk later."

"I'm tired of you promising to talk and us ever getting to it." He put a finger underneath her chin, tilting her face towards him. "We can finally talk about this or I can keep kissing you. Take your pick."

The latter was starting to sound very interesting. Raven shook her head and attempted a glare, but she knew she didn't look very threatening because Roy just smirked back at her. He leaned down and feathered a few more kisses against her neck. Raven sighed and let her head fall back against the tree. This wasn't going anywhere and Roy liked it that way. He liked having that control over her, he liked knowing he could turn her into a puddle with just a few kisses.

"Please, Roy… this… we can't do this right now." She pushed against his chest and Roy took a step back, giving her just enough room to breathe. Raven looked up at him, hoping her face wasn't too flushed. "I promise you, give you my word as your _friend_, that we will talk about this when there isn't another friend who needs saving."

"I will hold you to that." Roy crossed his arms over his chest and watched her. His eyes suddenly glinted with a strange mischief and he smirked. "Until then, I get to steal as many kisses as I want."

"Oh, hush." Raven rolled her eyes and started for the field again. "We need a plan of action."

"You never said I couldn't."

Raven didn't even bother looking at him; she knew that he had a huge grin spreading across his face. Even though she knew she should have at least been upset with Roy's remark, Raven couldn't find it in her to say "no". The thought of him pinning her to a tree again while touching and _kissing_ her the way he did… well, Raven was sure glad that Little Blue Riding Hood had a long way to travel through a forest. She finally turned to see him leaning against the tree, just smiling at her. Raven blushed again and took a few more steps toward the field. "Just shut up about that and give me some _help_."

"I say we climb her hair and figure a way to get her down." Roy said, following her into the lush, green grass. They stared up at the ivory tower, catching a small glimpse of fiery-red hair through the window at the top. He glanced down at Raven and shrugged. "It's not like we have much of a plan, let alone any supplies to help us out. Right now, we have nothing but my arrows and your… er… whatever it is that you have."

Raven growled and tugged at her dress. "A petticoat."

"Ah." Roy rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried not to laugh. Raven punched his arm, but that didn't deter the chuckling at all. She tried to glare, but that didn't help either. He just continued laughing like a school-boy. "You know, it's a good thing you're so cute, otherwise I might consider you pretty useless."

"Shut up." Raven rolled her eyes and started into the field. The long grass brushed against her bare legs and the scent of clean, fresh air suddenly reminded her of Azarath. She stopped walking and closed her eyes remembering her childhood playing in the field outside of her town. She had been in Jump City for so long, that she had forgotten what it was like to breathe fresh, clean air. Roy stopped next to her, his chuckling finally stopping.

"Makes me miss home."

"Yeah… I guess I didn't realize how much I missed _nature_." Raven smirked up at her companion. "Too bad it's just an illusion. It would be nice if it were real though." She chewed on her lower lip and tugged at a strand of grass, feeling it snap under the tension. She toyed with the grass, watching the delicate fibers break. "I wonder what kind of magic he used to create this… I mean, I can do something similar, but it's difficult and it takes months of preparation. This is so _detailed_. He had to have been working on this forever… and for what? A lark?"

"You know, sometimes you just amaze me." Roy crossed his arms over his chest and watched her, his expression curious. "You're the only person I know who can see this and be impressed by the technicalities of _magic_. Normal people would just be looking for a way out, but you're appreciating this spell like it's fine art."

"Magic _is_ art, Roy." Raven rolled her eyes and started for the tower again, enjoying the sound of wind in the trees.

"I never said it wasn't." Roy chased after her, his footsteps light on the ground, as if he were used to running over uneven dirt paths. Raven paused and watched him catch up to her, he moved so fluidly through the field that Raven wondered if he belonged here. "I just find it interesting that _you_ find beauty in something as simple as a spell."

Raven opened her mouth to respond, but she never got the chance. The sound of a dying goat started to come from the tower again and Raven cringed with the noise. This time is was "Baa Baa Black Sheep". She looked at Roy and shook her head in desperation. "Do we _really_ have to do this? _Really_? Because once she starts there isn't a whole lot we can do to get her to shut up. And I'll be honest, I don't know if I can take much more of this."

Roy gave a lopsided smirk. "We've got to try, Rae."

Raven felt her cheeks color at the nick-name and she took a step back, chewing on her lower lip. Did he have to keep teasing her like that? She cringed as Starfire hit a particularly high note, that was sure to draw dogs and cats from miles around, and Raven glared at the window in the tower. It was now or never. "Well, we might as well get it over with. The sooner we save her the sooner she'll shut up."

Roy smirked again. "That's my girl."

Raven was _really _beginning to wish she had her powers back. "I'm no one's _girl_."

"Not yet."

Raven rolled her eyes and glared at him, hoping he didn't see the faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "Will you just call up to her already?"

His face paled slightly. "Why me?"

"Well, aren't you supposed to be the 'dashing' prince?"

"Oh, I'm no prince." He fleshed a set of sparkling teeth, and the image reminded her of predator stalking prey. She unconsciously took a small step back. "I'm a scandalous rouge."  
"You're a pain in the neck is what you are."

"That I am." Roy stared up at the tower and sighed. "You're lucky I like you, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this right now. I don't care if that's Starfire up there, I would not put my ears through this torture if it wasn't for you."

"Well, gee, I feel honored." Raven cocked on hip to the side and stared at him. He grinned back at her waiting for the magic words. She sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Will you _please_ call up to Starfire?"

"Of course." He cupped his hands over his mouth before shouting up to the top of the tower. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair." The cry of the goat stopped, and there was a giggle of glee. Raven, knowing full and well this could end badly, took a few steps away from the tower. Just in time. A huge rope of fire red hair slammed into the top of Roy's head, sending him to the ground with a grunt. He sat there for a minute, staring at the grass before he looked up at Raven.

She bit her lip to keep from giggling. He looked ridiculous, wallowing in the grass and tangled in a rope made from Starfire's bright hair. After he managed to regain his composure, he glared up at her. But it was too late, Raven had already started to laugh. At least she was polite and turned away, but the wind carried her chuckles back to Roy and his eyes narrowed. "That's not funny, Raven."

"Don't fool yourself." She covered her smile with her hand. "It's hilarious."

Roy grumbled and got back to his feet, unwinding the rope of hair as he did so. "Thanks for caring."

"I try." She motioned to the rope, a coy smile on her face. "Gentlemen first."

"I thought it was the other way around." He smirked and raised an eyebrow. After a moment of awkward silence he gave a stiff bow and motioned to the rope. "Please, milady, after you."

"And have you look up my skirt the whole way? Thank you, but I'm smarter than that." Raven crossed her arms over her chest. She frowned at him and fought the urge to roll her eyes. Only Roy could drive her insane so quickly. "So, if you don't mind, could we get this over with?"

Roy frowned and gripped the rope. "Fine. Have it your way."

"I will." She took a step back and waited as he climbed to the top. Raven tried not to swear as she followed after him. The rope was surprisingly smooth and very strong, but Raven almost expected it. Starfire took incredible care of her hair, so of course it was going to be like silk. As Raven started her climb, she began to realize she made a critical error: she was out of shape. She had relied on the strength of her powers so much that do something as simple as climbing a rope became a test of will and strength. Roy was never going to let her live this down.

"You okay, Rae?" Roy's head popped out of the window and stared down at her.

"Fine!" Raven pulled herself up another two feet before she had to rest again. If only she was invisible.

"Friend Raven? Do you need some assistance?" Starfire's sweet voice called down to her. Raven's face burned bright red as she heard Roy's chuckles fall down to her. She tried not to face him, because then he would know for sure that she was struggling for control. And the teasing would be non-stop after that, as well as him imminent death.

"NO! I'm FINE!" Raven managed to steal a few more feet. She was bound and determined to do this herself, even if it killed her, which it possibly could. "Thank you _anyways_."

"See, I told you that you should have gone first."

"Will you just shut up?"

"I'm trying." Roy chuckled again. "But you're making it very hard for me."

"I'm going to throw you out the window when I get up there."

"I'll be dead by then with all the time you're taking."

"I swear I'll kill you myself."

"With all that energy you have left?"

Raven somehow found the strength to pull herself to the top of Starfire's tower. She sat on the ledge for a moment, catching her breath, before swinging her legs inside. Once her feet were planted firmly on the floor, she slammed her fist into Roy's shoulder with surprising force. There was a moment as he took a step back, blinking in shock. His hand flew to his shoulder and he fought to keep from falling over. Raven puffed out a breath of irritated breath and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "Will you _please_ just _shut up_?"

Starfire giggled.

)O(

_Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I really appreciate all the great reviews I've been getting. It makes me so happy to know that you like this. I know it's a little off-the-wall and not a popular pairing, but I'm glad you like it! _

_Also, for any of you who are following __**Wide Awake**__ I have finally come up with a definite pairing, it will be Robin and Raven, with Red X and Raven for a little bit, but will end in Red X and Starfire. THANKS AGAIN! I love you hear from you so let me know what you think!_

_With Love Always: Xaph!_


	3. Rescuing a Princess

**Chapter Three  
**_In Which Little Blue and Robin Hood Rescue a Princess_

)O(

A strange, vibrating silence weaved through the room as Raven sat on the edge of Starfire's massive and luxurious bed. Roy leaned against the window frame, still cradling his wounded shoulder, and watching the edge of the forest for any signs of Mumbo. Starfire was desperately trying to hide her smile, which was making Raven scowl even more than usual. She knew she looked ridiculous, but Starfire's girlish giggling wasn't helping the situation at all. There was a long, awkward moment as Starfire managed to squash the smile, and look at Raven with a straight face.

"I did not think I would ever see you in a dress, friend Raven."

Raven tried not to growl. Of all the things she could have said, _that_ was her topic of choice? "I didn't either."

"That makes three of us."

Raven threw a pillow at Roy's head, and he managed to duck the blow, which made Raven frown even more. Couldn't she at least hit him with _something_? "You shut up. You are not allowed to speak unless spoken to."

"I'll try to remember that." Roy turned back to look out the window again, but was smirking as if he'd won a battle. Raven was going to punch him in the face if he didn't stop that. His job was to watch for Mumbo, not be a commentator. She threw another pillow, which he caught deftly and tossed on the floor. Raven finally growled at him before turning back to Starfire, who had a strange glint in her eye, as if she knew something Raven didn't. She was starting to get tired of being the subject of giggles and secrets. Roy cocked his head to the side and glanced over his shoulder at the two girls. "Starfire, has anyone come to see you? Like Robin?"

Starfire shook her head, frowning. "I have not seen Robin since the night of the party. We were separated when Mumbo cast his spell at the club. That was the last time I saw him…" Her face fell, and she sighed, fidgeting with her braided hair, which wove through the room in coils of fire-red. "I am… _worried_ about him. That something terrible has happened to him. He is not one to ignore any of us when we are in danger."

Raven opened her mouth to say something rude, but snapped it shut. Starfire was right. Robin wasn't one to step down when a challenge confronted him, especially one like this. Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Exactly what happened at the club?"

"You do not remember?"

Roy tried to say something, but Raven shut him up with a glare. He rolled his eyes and turned back to watching the edge of the forest. "We were… getting fresh air. I had a bit of an emotional overload." Raven tried to keep her face blank, but something must have tipped Starfire off, because she stared at her friend in the way they only she could. That soft, knowing look that said nothing and everything at the same time. Raven felt color creep up her neck and into her face and she looked away. "I didn't know anything was going on until it was too late."

"I see." Starfire fidgeted with the folds in her dress, obviously trying to recall all the facts. "It was right after you had left us, Raven. We saw you leave through the back and Roy chased you down, he said he wanted to make sure you were all right." Raven glanced at Roy, but he gave no indication of emotion except for this ears turning red. He shrugged and looked back out the window again. "Mumbo shut off the power to the whole club, and then he mentioned something about how he was going to teach us a lesson in the foolery of Tom…

"Then… it is hard to remember exactly what happened. We were fighting him, but his magic confused us all. I believe I got knocked out by one of his giant gloves." Starfire sighed and shook her head. "When I woke up, I was here in this tower with no powers, hair as long as the scarbax plant, and I still have no idea where I am." She glanced out the window, as if she expected to see her prince riding up to save her. "To be honest, friend Raven, I am getting tired of waiting to be rescued. And I am getting tired of not knowing what is going on or where our friends are."

Roy laughed and both Raven and Starfire turned to see him grinning like an idiot. "Well, we're here. So, we'll rescue you."

Starfire smiled, in that silly, giddy way that made Raven wonder if she was empty headed, or just too optimistic. "That's fine for me."

"Wait."

Raven turned to Roy, her heart sinking. "Wait?"

"Mumbo."

Raven swore. Just great. This was _exactly_ what they needed now, Mumbo and his own particular brand of meddling. She threw her hands up in the air and cursed. "Well, what do you think should we do?"

Roy grinned and pulled and arrow from his quiver, cocking it in his bow. "I bet I can hit the hat right off his head."

"This is no time to play games, Roy." Raven rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "What exactly are we supposed to do? We've got an angry magician stalking up to a tower with _one_ entrance and _one_ exit. Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, we're actually playing on _his_ terms in _his_ spell." She huffed out an aggravated breath. "Idiot."

"No need for names, Little Blue." Roys glanced over his shoulder, but still kept the arrow cocked. Raven had half a mind to throw a shoe at him, if it would only wipe that stupid smirk off his face. "It might not stop him, but it might slow him down a little."

"You're just going to make it worse, Speedy. Put the arrow _down_."

"Sure thing." He grinned and his fingers slipped from the chord, zipping through the air. Raven cursed and ran to the window, watching as the shaft spead through the air, effectively hitting its target. Mumbo's hat disappeared from his head and pinned to a tree behind him. Raven pressed a hand to her forehead and glared at Speedy, who was _still_ grinning. "Oops. Guess I'm just a little clumsy."

"You're going to be missing an arm in about four seconds." Raven tried to punch him, but he blocked her.

"Awe, calm down, Little Blue." He patted her head and laughed. Raven mumbled something rude under her breath and stepped away from him. In the distance she could see Mumbo running through the field, the fading evening light bouncing off his shiny, naked head. Starfire picked up her skirts and rushed to the window. Mumbo was halfway to the tower, screaming up at the three of them.

"Look what you've done, Speedy. Now we're never going to get out of here."

"This may be a good thing, Raven." Starfire smiled. "We now have Mumbo up our nose!"

"Uh... it's 'under our noses.' But that is an interesting image, Star." Speedy chuckled and pulled another arrow from his quiver as Mumbo came within yards of them. He was still cursing them and shaking his fists, but no one regarded it as anything dangerous, after all it was _just Mumbo._ "Do you think I should just hit him and save us the effort?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "That's not exactly going to help us."

"Well, what is?"

Starfire shook her head, sighing. "I'm not sure. He is a... pain in the neck."

Raven snorted and leaned back on her heels. "That's _one_ expression. I would have called him something more colorful."

Starfire blinked one and cocked her head to the side. "But Raven, you cannot see words."

"It's an expression, Starfire." Speedy paused as he looked over the edge of the window sill. "Bastard finally got here. Now what? I still stay we shoot him."

"That's not going to fix anything, and you know it." Raven rolled her eyes. "I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?"

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Raven poked her head out the window and glared down at Mumbo. He took a step back in shock, but returned the evil stare, shaking his fist. Raven wasn't impressed and rolled her eyes. "Shove it, magician. You're not getting up here, so tough luck."

"Little Blue Riding Hood! How did you get up there? Shouldn't you be off finding grandma in the woods?" Mumbo grinned, showing a set a teeth that reminded Raven of fangs. Her gaze narrowed as Roy chuckled behind her. Raven whipped around and growled at him.

"Don't you even _say_ a word, Speedy. It's _not_ funny."

"I beg to differ."

"Shut up." Raven pushed him away, watching as Starfire made her way to the window. She looked down at their unwanted guest and sighed, saying something obviously impolite in her native tongue. Mumbo took a small step back, fear starting to shine in his eyes. Raven tried not to smirk, Mumbo was really going to get a beating this time. "Exactly what do you want, Mumbo? We're stuck in this spell playing by your rules, what else could you _really_ want?"

"To watch the team crumble under stories of old." He turned his unusually sharp gaze to Raven and grinned. "I always thought how amusing it would be to see little Robin crushed by a giant. Or your precious little Spanish twins cooked into a pie for an old witch. Don't you think?"

"You are strange." Roy shook his head and took another step back.

"You're not much better, _Robin Hood_."

"Oh, shut up you old goat." Roy cocked another arrow and aimed it over the edge of the tower. "At least I've got good aim."

Mumbo didn't have much to say to that, and so he kept quiet.

"What exactly is our plan, Speedy?" Raven hissed under her breath. Roy shrugged, his arrow was still centered on Mumbo and she tried not to growl at him. "We're the ones who are stuck up in the tower, in case you haven't noticed. Threatening him isn't going to fix anything, and we'll still be stuck here."

"It makes me feel better."

Raven rolled her eyes and looked over the edge at Mumbo, who hadn't moved yet. "What is the point of this?"

"I already told you, Little Blue. I am dying to see the team crumble under ancient tales, it's been a dream of mine." He cackled as Raven's face fell. Was it really that simple, or had he just completely lost it at this point? "In order to leave here, you have to decide what quest was bequeathed to you."

"And that is?"  
"I can't say for sure, it was a random assortment of quests and fights." He paused and looked up at her, cocking his head to the side, still grinning as if he'd won the battle. "I can tell you for sure that rescuing Rapunzel is not on your list, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon, so don't think you can just _escape_. That's not how it works."

"Oh?" Roy raised an eyebrow and snorted. "You're just going to sit here all night?"

"Well, aren't you?"

Roy snorted and turned around to face Raven. "Please let me shoot him, Raven. It will really make this whole thing that much quicker."

Raven sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, all right. Just shoot him and get this over with, we have things to do!"

"Yes, Ma'am." Roy let go of his cocked arrow and it slipped through the air, right into the fleshy part of Mumbo's shoulder. He let out a yelp and cursed the three at the top of the tower. There was a flash of blue light and he disintegrated into a powdery, white dust, scattering through the field. Everyone turned and looked at each other, shocked that had happened.

Starfire sighed and shook her head. "That was obviously not the Mumbo we wanted."

"I guess not." Raven paused and looked at the long drop from the window in the tower down to the grass below. It had to be at least three, maybe even four stories down. Too long to jump and hope for the best, she didn't trust the parameters of the spell. If it was created to "crush the Titans" she doubted it would be kind enough to let them live from a drop. "Now, how are we supposed to get down from here, and do you think he had reinforcements coming?"

Roy shrugged. "Probably. We've got about another hour or so before something worse shows up."

"Great..."

Starfire raised her hand and waived it in between the two. Roy and Raven jerked back and turned to her, watching as a huge grin peeled across her lips. She pointed to the fire red coils, still weaving through the room. "We can use my hair to get down! There should be enough length if we cut it close to my shoulders."

Roy shrugged, but Raven frowned and shook her head. "What if it doesn't grow back after the spell is over?"

Starfire smiled and patted Raven's shoulder, as if she were trying to console her. "It is just hair, friend Raven, and it will come back eventually."

"But..." Raven saw the giddy joy in her friend's face and sighed. There would be no use in trying to deter her from the decision she had already made. Roy shrugged and started searching his pockets for a small knife. Raven pressed a hand to her forehead and bit back a growl, this was going to turn into a disaster whether she tried to stop it or not. "Fine... if that's what you want to do, we'll make it work."

"It will be just fine." Starfire smiled and pulled the ribbons from her hair. Roy found a small hunting knife and checked the sharpness. He glanced over at Raven who just shook her head and waved at them, silently telling them to just keep going forward. Starfire _loved_ her hair. She was always braiding it and buying clips and barrettes, babying it as if it were her favorite possession. If Raven knew anything, it was that this was going to hurt her. Roy wrapped a ribbon tightly around her hair, just above her shoulders, and without any preamble, sawed off the tendril.

The silence in the room had turned uncomfortable, as if everyone was just waiting for mass chaos to start. Starfire's fingers moved to stroke her shoulder-length hair, her face unreadable. She turned to Raven and grinned, holding up the tendril of hair. "See! All better!" But, Raven saw knew better, and saw the shadow of hurt in her eyes. That girl was going to break down one day, and Raven pitied the person who had to pick up the pieces. Starfire made quick work of tying the hair in a strong knot around her bedpost, tossing the end out the window. "Let's go!" Saying nothing further, she hitched up her long skirts and slid down the rope of hair.

Roy looked over at Raven and shook his head, frowning slightly. "She is going to cry later, isn't she?"

"You know, not all women break down over every little thing, Roy." She rolled her eyes and tugged at the rope, double checking it's safety. Well, she didn't exactly have too many options at this point, did she? Her hands gripped the hair tightly, and she swung her legs over the edge of the window. In the deepening golds of twilight, Starfire had taken to skipping through the field, picking daisies. Raven had to fight the smile that peeled across her lips. "Although, I'm sure there isn't a whole lot that can bring her down."

Roy chuckled. "I'll give you that."

Raven felt his eyes on her, and a slight blush crept up her neck. Did he have to keep staring at her like that? She sighed and turned to him trying to stay calm under his burning gaze. "What, Roy?"

"I can't think of anyone else I'd rather save than you." Raven was going to say something rude until she noticed the seriousness in his eyes. Did he have to do this to her when Starfire was so close? After their previous display of lovers' spats, Starfire had to know that _something _was going on between them, and Raven wasn't sure how much more "covering up" she thought she could do. Raven didn't want to think about that, and she shook her head, trying to clear her mind of any scandalous thoughts. Roy, decided that helping was out of the question, and leaned forward to snatch her lips in an innocent kiss.

Yes, of course he would do this to her _now_. Of course he would take her already disjointed emotions and weave them into something else. And Raven was unable to resist, she leaned up into his kiss, praying to every god she could think of to keep Starfire from seeing the exchange. Roy tangled his fingers in her hair, nudging her mouth open to deepen the kiss, but she pulled away and glared. "No. You stop it right now before this goes any further."

"Awe, Rae." He took a step back, giving her his trademark lopsided grin. If Raven knew anything about Roy, it was that he was up to something. "Sorry, I got carried away. I was just thinking how it's a pity that this big bed is just going to sit here, unused..."

Raven rolled her eyes and pushed him away. "You can stay here and use it all you want, I'm going to find the rest of our friends."

"That wasn't _exactly _what I had in mind." Roy blew out a puff of aggravated breath and stared at her, his smile fading slightly. Raven noticed how the air in the room changed, and Roy changed with it. He snagged her chin in his hand, bringing her eyes to his, and she found herself drowning in the deep pools of honey. "I'm still not giving up on you just yet."

"I figured as much." Raven grabbed the rope of hair and moved to the edge of the window sill. "Just catch up when you can, Sunshine." She winked at him and slid down, leaving a strangely silent Roy. Raven managed to make it down to the bottom with out embarrassing herself, too much. She was pretty sure the wind had blown her skit up during the last three yards, but there was just Starfire at the bottom. At least Roy didn't see it. Raven stared up at the tower, her heart seizing up as she thought about his words.

He had to play this game with her now? Hadn't they already had this discussion _twice_? And hadn't he promised to stop being an ass about it, at least until they had time to speak alone in privacy and safety? Well, he just threw those words right out the window. Raven pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to calm her nerves. With the way things were going, she was pretty sure she was going to kill him before the sun even went down, and it was going down fast.

"Hey, you coming?" Roy had made it down to the field. Starfire was standing behind him, waving as he readjusted his quiver of arrows. Raven made her way towards him, frowning. "Sun's going down and we have to find someone to shelter for the night. Mumbo's minions are probably looking for us all over the place, so we have to find some_where_ to kip tonight."

"Well, let's get going then." Raven walked past Roy and started for the northern forest edge. Starfire skipped alongside her, gathering her skirts as she went. The three reached the edge of the field and started weaving through thick, ancient forest. Raven was pretty sure the spell had to be stronger here, because the forest seemed to close in on them. It didn't feel like the forest from this afternoon, it felt more dangerous. Of course, the impeding darkness did not help any. Shadows stretched and contorted until the shapes inched toward them like bony fingers, looking for a bite.

"Friend Raven?"

Raven jumped and she felt her heart skip a beat. How could she have forgotten that Starfire was next to her. She sighed and turned to her friend. "Yeah?"

"What is going on between you and Speedy?"

Raven nearly tripped over a root, and she had to grab onto a low hanging branch for balance. She looked at Starfire, and then back at Roy, who was several yards behind them, examining the bank of the stream they were following. He gave no indication that he heard anything, thank the gods. "What do you mean, Starfire? We're saving you, does that have to mean anything more?"

Starfire blinked and started walking again, following the curves of the stream. A few more minutes passed before she looked back at Raven. "I suppose not..." Pause. "However, my mother used to look at my father the same way you look at Speedy." She paused for a few more moments, tapping her chin in thought. "They were... oh how did Robin put it... angrily in love?"

Raven felt her heart sputter to a stop as it lodged in her throat. Madly in love? With Speedy? With the very bane of her existence? Ha! She was constantly trying to think of new ways to murder him, at what point was that considered _love_? Raven pushed on ahead, trying to hide the blush that was starting to grow up her neck. "Starfire. You get those thoughts out of your head. Speedy and I got shoved into this thing together, it has nothing to do with_ any _kind of emotion_. _Good_ or _bad."

"But, Raven... you have been feeling this way for a while, right?"

Raven looked away. Did _everyone _know about their relationship? Was she that transparent? "No."

"You shouldn't lie to your friends, Raven." Starfire shook her head and started on ahead, leaving a shocked Raven standing behind her. Of all the things to be having a conversation about _now_, it had to be this? Not where their friends were, or how to get out of the spell. No, it had to be her relationship status that was the topic of serious discussion. Raven felt her blood rise a few more degrees. She was going to go off on someone soon if she wasn't careful.

"She's right, you know." Roy's husky voice brought her out of her shock, and she turned around watching as he leaned against a tree. He flashed a grin at her, and without even realizing it Raven snapped. It just took a few moments to realize the stupid mistake. "Everyone else seems to see that you're angrily in love with me. Why don't you?"

"Because I'm not! You're the most pompus, womanizing, egotistical, stuffed-shirt jerk I've ever had the displeasure of knowing! And in spite of what you think, not everything with two legs and a vagina is in love with you!" Raven pushed at his shoulders ignoring the look of pain in his eyes. Okay, maybe that had been a little harsh, but he was asking for it. Wasn't he? "You just stay the hell away from me, and I'll be fine."

"You are so hard to read!" Roy threw up his hands and pushed past her, following the path Starfire had taken deeper into the woods. "It's like trying to get personality from a rock sometimes, Raven. You show no true emotion to _anyone_, not even your best friends." He shook his head. "Whatever. _Fine_. If that's the way you want it, that's what you get."

Raven reeled back from the insult and watched his form retreat. What had she done? "Roy!" She called out for him, but he had already disappeared into the thicker, older part of the woods. Raven sighed and let her head fall back against the tree she was leaning on. Was she really _that_ stupid? Roy was her friend, and even thought he could be the biggest idiot she knew, he was still _her friend_. Being mean about their... whatever it was between them... was not going to fix anything. At all. And she knew that, but why couldn't she seem to remember that.

"This isn't exactly the best place to take a rest, young miss."

Raven jerked her eyes open and looked around. The sun had completely set, and she could see nothing in the inky darkness surrounding her. Had she fallen asleep? How had someone managed to sneak up on her? Raven heard shuffling to her left and jumped at the noise. "Who's there?"

"It's me... do you know how much I could get for your teeth? They're beautiful. Nice ivory is hard to find in these parts."

Raven felt her heart fall into her stomach. She could barely see anything except vague shapes and movement. Everything seemed to duck in and around shadows, lurking just out of reach. Fear started to slip into her veins, and she knew she needed to be careful or she might panic. "My teeth aren't for sale. Get away!"

"I wasn't _asking_." Movement next to her feet. Her muscles were starting to twitch as panic set in. Where was Roy? And Starfire? She looked down, and saw a hunched figure skirt between broken limbs. There was barely a noise as the shadow shuffled through dry, aged leaves. "Of course I'd keep the best ones for myself. I've been looking for the perfect piece of ivory for my necklace."

"Get away!" Raven threw her arms out, and they connected with something soft and scaly, covered in bumps and scars. The scent of swamp and decaying flesh filled her senses, and she had to fight the urge to empty her stomach. There was more movement, before red eyes glinted in the darkness as the figure cackled. Gnarled, boned hands grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the tree, hissing into her ear. She struggled against the bind, but it felt three times as strong as she was, and without her powers, there wasn't much Raven could do.

"You smell like lavender." It cackled and slid its hands further up her arms. Raven could feel a something like wet sand paper slide across her neck. He stomach jumped into her throat at the feeling. "Mmm. Your skin will fetch a pretty price as well. What a good find." Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes and Raven tried to bring her knee up the figure's stomach, but it moved swiftly out of the way. It growled and bit down on an exposed part of her shoulder, Raven screamed as she felt a small stream of blood leak out. It hissed at her again. "Careful, little miss. It's not nice to torment your captors."

Raven tried to knee it again, and this time she connected with a soft, fleshy underbelly. The thing's grip loosened as it recoiled from the attack, and Raven struggled against the hands on her wrists again, screaming for help. She yelled for the first person who came to mind. "Roy! Help me! Roy!"

"Raven!" Roy! Her heart picked up speed as she heard his voice. Oh, thank the gods, he was close. She breathed in deep, the stench of swamp filling her nose again. "Raven where are you!"

"She mine! I found her first."

"Get off her!" Raven out barely make out the colors of Roy's costume. He reeled back and punched the shadow where Raven assumed the face would be. It hissed angrily and let Raven go. She fell to the ground, mud covering her bare legs. "You stay the hell away from her or any other travelers you see!" Roy punched the thing again and it retreated a few more feet.

"You won't see the last of me."

Roy cocked an arrow and pointed it at the creature. "Wanna test that theory?" The strange squelching sound of something running through muck was heard, but Roy didn't drop the bow until the sound vanished completely. He ran to Raven and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her to her feet. She teetered by herself for a few minutes before toppling back into his arms. "Damnit, Raven. I leave you alone for ten minutes and you have to go all 'damsel in distress' on me. What were you thinking?"

"Ten minutes? That's it?" Raven breathed a sigh of relief and she leaned into Roy, basking in the warmth he offered. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to I just... after the argument I... oh, fuck it." Raven leaned forward, and of her own accord, grabbed his face and kissed him full on the lips. There was a long moment where Roy seemed to be frozen, but he quickly thawed under her heat and responded eagerly. He shoved her against the tree, breathing heavily as her fingers traced the contours of his chest. Raven undid a few of the fasteners, running her fingers down the sweat and adrenaline soaked skin.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Raven." His fingers buried in her hair and he pulled her face away just far enough to look into her eyes. Raven was taken aback by the severity there, and she nodded dumbly, shock still coursing through her. "I'm _serious_. I won't be able to handle it if you keep doing this to me." Roy brought his lips back to hers and hitched one of her legs up around his waist. Raven found herself panting as he kissed down her throat, while his fingertips traced patterns on her exposed thigh. If he kept this up, things just might get out of hand. If they hadn't already.

"Ahem?" Starfire's soft, inquisitive voice echoed through the empty night, and Roy and Raven jumped away from each other, color rising into their faces. They took a step away from each other, staring at the muck under their feet. "I am glad you have found Raven, Speedy... I think it might be best if we get to the cottage before any more of those monsters show up."

"Oh... um..." Roy rubbed the back of his head, casting a sideways glance at Raven. She just flushed in response. "Right."

)O(

_Okay, so I know it took forever, but here is chapter three. It took forever because my mind was going in an entierly different direction and I had to fix it. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review if you are so inclined (it makes me happy when you do!).  
Oh, and if you are interested, I have a poll on my profile page. Just curious as to what story I should write a sequel for! Let me know I love to hear your thoughts and opinions!_

_With Love Always: Xaph!_


	4. Feelings and Thumbelina

**Little Blue Riding Hood  
**_Chapter Four_

In Which Little Blue and Robin Hood Discuss Their Feelings, and Rapunzel Finds Thumbelina

)O(

Raven watched Roy as he paced in front of the fireplace, the last of the flames sputtering down into embers. She was curled up in an armchair, a blanket covering her half-nude body. Unfortunately, her tumble in the muck around the stream had soiled all her clothes, and they had to be washed. Right now, they were drying by the warmth of the fire which left Raven in her undergarments, and in a room with Roy who looked at her as if she were a tasty treat. The whole situation sounded like it came out of a bad romantic comedy.

Starfire, who was exhausted, had taken to sawing a whole damn forest in the other room. Raven thought if she snored any louder, the whole cottage would tumble around their ears. Luckily, while Raven had her brush with the darker side of Mumbo's spell, Roy and Starfire had discovered the quintessential "Abandoned Wood-Cutter's Cottage" that existed in half the fairy tales she had ever read. So, for tonight at least, they had a room over their heads. Which turned out to be a blessing, because it had started to downpour the moment they entered.

Roy stopped pacing, glanced at her, and then continued the worn path again. Raven sighed and threw her hands into the air. He'd been doing that all night, and it was starting to get annoying. "_What_? I know you want to say something, you've been staring at me all night!"

"Don't _ever_ scare me like that again." He whispered the sentence to the fire before turning and looking at her again. There was an intensity to him that Raven had never seen, and she felt her stomach clench at the sight. He stood there and stared at her a few more moments before continuing. "You scared the hell out of me, Raven. I..." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

Raven shrugged, and tried to brush it off. "You would have saved me."

Roy glared. "What if I couldn't?"

"I won't think about that." Raven wrapped the blanket around her tightly and walked over to him. "I'm safe now, Roy. You saved me." She chuckled and stared up at him. "As much as it pains me to admit, I owe you." For the first time that night, Roy didn't smile at her joke. Raven rolled her eyes and took a step away from him. "I'm _fine_. I made a stupid mistake in not keeping up, and you saved me. I cannot change the past, we were lucky this time."

"That's right, we were lucky _this time_." He shook his head. "But what about next time? What if this happens again? What happens when I'm not there to catch you if you fall?"

Raven glared at him. "I'm not a china doll! I'm a _person_. And, in case you forgot, I have enough powers to bring down this entire dimension." She snorted and took a step back, away from him. "I think I can handle myself."

"You didn't out there!" Roy pointed to the door. "You got caught by... _whatever_ that was, and you got into trouble! You have no powers, and we have no idea what lurks in the shadows here. It could be something none of us understand, and you were careless."

"You're blaming this on me?" Raven snarled at him. "It's not my fault."

"You could have gotten _seriously_ hurt, Raven." Roy crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels. "Isn't that crossing your mind? What would have happened if I wasn't there?"

"It _didn't _happen though, and you're getting scared over something that _didn't _happen." Raven rolled her eyes. "You worry more than Robin sometimes. It's like having two of him around." She sighed and moved to go sit in her chair, but she felt something tugging on her blanket. She stopped and stared at Roy's foot, stepping on the hem. She gave it a tug, but he refused to move, and she looked up at him, frowning. "Really?"

"I'm not letting you go until we finish this conversation, Raven." He watched her tug at the blanket before she her frown turned into a snarl. Roy didn't seem all that concerned. "I'm trying to have a serious discussion, and you keep running away. Like you always do when we try and be serious."

Okay. _That_ was uncalled for. Did he really have to stoop that low? Raven snapped her teeth at him and gave the blanket another tug, but it still refused to budge. "Stop being a pompous bastard, this conversation is over whether you want it to be or not!" Raven, in a strange act of bravery and left with no other options for escape, let the blanket fall. The world seemed to stop for a minute as Roy's mouth dropped and he stepped back. It wasn't like she was _naked _or anything. She was dressed in a pair of super ruffly, black bloomers and a matching lacy bustier, and although it wasn't _exactly_ skin-bearing, the way Roy looked at her made her _feel_ as if she was completely naked. She blushed and looked away. "What are you staring at?"

"What do you think?" Roy raised an eyebrow, and his gaze traced the shape of her body. "I didn't think you'd actually... show me."

"Well it's not like I'm _naked_. I have clothes on." Raven moved to pick up the blanket, but Roy grabbed her hand. She looked at him, and saw the ghost of his trademark, lopsided smile start to peel across his lips. Just like a man: show him a pair of boobs and he forgets the argument. "Let me go, Roy. I'm going to bed."

"Not yet." He tugged on her hand, pulling her closer. "Leave the blanket there, we might need it later."

Raven snorted inelegantly, but didn't take her hand back. "In your dreams."

"I can make it my dream... in fact, I think I had one similar to this the other night." Roy pitched his voice low as he moved closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pulled her close, and electricity sizzled between them and Raven found herself automatically leaning up, expecting a kiss. But Roy did something far more devious: he unfastened the clasps for her bustier. Raven jumped away from him and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep her undergarment from falling. Roy just laughed at the sight as Raven struggled to refasten it. "You're a cad!"

"You were _asking_ for it." He grinned and leaned back on his heels to watch her flounder. Shaking his head, he reached out for her. "Come here and I'll fix it."

Raven glared. "I do _not_ trust _you_."

"Oh, stop your whining." Roy rolled his eyes and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around so that her back faced him. He quickly redid the fastens, before smoothing his hands over her stomach. He pulled her against his body and gently kissed the crook of her neck. "See, all better. You should trust me more."

"You make it hard sometimes." Raven stopped struggling and let the silence fall around them. A few minutes passed in silence before she turned and looked up at him. His frown had returned, and all it did was irritate her more. Speaking of trust, he should learn to trust her judgment more. "Are you mad at me?"

"For running off and getting into trouble?" He snorted. "A little." He sighed and sat down on the blanket, motioning for her to follow him. Raven sighed, and against her better judgment, sat down next to him. "You know, this wouldn't have happened if we worked out our... _problem_ before we got dragged deeper into this debacle of a fairy tale."

"Yeah. I know." Raven raised an eyebrow. "It also wouldn't have happened if you had just given up when I told you."

"But if I had given up, I would have missed this whole situation with you sitting in front of me in nothing but your underwear." Roy flashed a brief grin and Raven tried not to slap him across the face. He was starting to deserve physical punishment at this point. "I _really_ would have missed that."

"I'm going to wipe this image from your memory when I get my powers back. So, don't get too used to it."

"You can't do that... can you?" Roy struggled as Raven kept silent, just watching him. "Can you?"

She glanced out the window. "I think the rain is getting worse."

"Stop avoiding my questions, Raven." She turned back, and blinked innocently at him, but he just frowned. "Can you really wipe memories?"

"Maybe." She shrugged and pulled her legs close to her chest, giving him her best, sweet smile. Roy was unimpressed, but she pretended not to notice. There was silence again and Raven's smile faded into a frown. "Look, I promised you that we would talk about our... _whatever _this is between us later. It's later. We might as well talk."

"Oh, _now_ you want to talk about it."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Yes, now. I promised."

"Okay, let's talk." Roy caught her gaze again. "Why not? Why can't we... have this between us? You won't let it." Raven opened her mouth to respond to the accusation, but Roy held up his hand. "Don't even try to deny it, Raven. I'm not stupid. I see how you feel, and yet you compartmentalize your emotions. You pretend that you don't feel anything for me, whether it be friendship or something more. _Why_?"

"I..." Raven sighed and fell onto her back, staring at his silhouette against the embers. "Because relationships are bad, and relationships between teammates are even more so. They attract problems that we can't deal with. My recent attack, case and point." Roy was frowning down at her and she turned away, scrunching her eyes shut against the onslaught of emotions. Of course she felt something for him, something stronger than camaraderie. He would be an imbecile if he didn't see it, and Raven would be one too if she didn't admit it. "If someone... _bad_ found out about how we feel for each other, they could use it against us. It could turn into something worse than this spell... and I don't know if I could handle it if something happened to you."

Silence. Raven popped one eye open, trying to gauge his reaction, but Roy's back was turned to her. She sighed. "So, that's why I pushed you away, why I didn't want anything between us. Because it's dangerous and I don't want to lose you because we had a relationship. I'm sorry, Roy. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's the truth."

"Actually... you just admitted you feel something for me."

Raven felt her face color and she nodded slowly. Did he have to make this so awkward for her? It was already terrible that she had to confess her feelings for him. "Yes."

"You've really just given me fuel to keep pursuing you until you give in."

"You're impossible!" Raven sat up and glared at him. He was grinning, and it just made her angrier. "I'm being honest here, Roy. I cannot handle it if something bad happened to you because of me. Or if someone used me to get to you or you to get to me. I just... _can't_."

"But you're not even willing to try." Roy frowned

"Because what if you get hurt?" Raven pressed a hand to her forehead and looked away. "This could end horribly and you're ready to jump full-on into this pool? Without even checking the water yet?"

"Yes."

She looked at him, that unusual severity returning to his eyes. "Why? It's not... safe."

"Raven, in our line of work, _nothing _is safe. I know that this could end badly, but I'm willing to take the gamble." Roy cupped her face, leaning into her body. "Especially for you."

Raven didn't even have time to protest before his lips claimed hers, his tongue seeking the sanctuary of her mouth. Raven sighed, and felt all her sane thoughts leave her at once. Well, she had at least tried reasoning with him, clearly it did not work. But, could she really complain? Roy pressed against her until they both tumbled on the blanket, never breaking their kiss. His hands wandered over her body, fingers memorizing each shape and hollow. He cupped her breast and squeezed, earning an appreciative moan from her. Raven felt his smile against her lips and he rolled her over, so that his body pinned her down. His mouth left hers and kissed along her jawline until he reached her ear. "See, I told you we would need the blanket."

"You're a cad." Raven found herself panting as he nipped at her ears. His hinds traced the boning on her bustier, following the lines southward. Raven tried to keep her voice down, but it was hard when he kept touching her like this. She felt her legs, of their own accord, tangle with his, bringing their bodies closer.

"So you keep telling me." He kissed down her throat, feathering his lips over her shoulders and clavicle. He kissed the swell of her breasts, letting his tongue dart out to taste her skin. Raven moaned again and arched her back, bringing her body even closer to his mouth. This was bad, so very, _very _bad. "You should have left this stupid thing off." Roy's hands slipped behind her back and tugged at the clasps.

Okay, this had to stop now, or things were going to be _awkward _in the morning. Raven brought her hands up and pushed at his shoulders, rolling over so that she was on top, straddling his hips. She desperately tried to ignore the hardness in between her legs, but it was getting difficult and her hips wiggled a little under the delightful pressure. She cleared her throat and gave him her best death-glare. "That is enough, Roy. It's late and I need to get some sleep. You should too."

Roy blinked up at her. "You're going to make them blue."

"You're impossible." Raven rolled her eyes and stood up. "Let's go to bed."

"I can sleep with you?"

"Where else would you sleep?" Raven cocked her head to the side and stared at his shocked face. "You can sleep with me, but no touching." She pressed a finger into his chest and glared. "Just _sleeping_."

Roy, not expecting that response, jerked back slightly. "I really can?"

Raven felt her heart pick up at the thought of sharing her bed. Especially with Roy. She'd never done something so brash in her life, why now? She started toward her room. "Well, there are only two beds. So you sleep with me or you sleep with Starfire, because I'm sure as hell not sleeping with her. You couldn't pay me enough."

As if on cue, their friend snored extra loudly and Roy shook his head, a smile peeling across his lips. "I'll take my chances with you." He followed her into the room across from Starfire's, and they both stared at the bed before looking at each other awkwardly. There was no way to make this situation _not _awkward. Raven moved first, pulling back the worn quilt. Roy grabbed her hand, and a shiver slipped down her spine. "You don't have to do this, I can sleep on the floor."

"I..." Raven felt color rise into her face, and she was grateful for the darkness. "I don't mind."

"Hey..." She felt Roy's hands reach our for her and pulled her close. Her throat jumped into her throat and she turned around to stare at his inky shadow, moving in the darkness. "Honey? I promise to keep you safe... no matter what happens, I will always be there for you... just le'ts give this a try. Just for a little bit." He kissed her forehead and pushed the hair from her face.

Raven just glared. "Don't ever call me 'Honey' again, or I will castrate you." She jumped into the bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. "Good night, Roy."

Roy sighed and got into bed next to her. "Good night, _Honey_."

)O(

Sunlight poured through an open window as birds sang on the ledge. Raven growled, and without opening her eyes, threw a pillow at the birds. It hit dead-on and sent them careening off the sill. Finally, silence. She pressed deeper into the warmth behind her, at least she did until she realized there was a hand cupping her breast and squeezing gently. Raven turned and looked at Roy's still sleeping form. Idiot. "Get off! Pervert!" Raven pulled back her arm and elbowed him in the chest, which sent him flying from the bed and into a heap on the floor.

"Well, good morning to you too." Roy held his head and glared up at her. "What was that for?"

Raven crossed her arms over her chest and returned his glare. "Did you know that you sleep-grope?"

Roy blinked a few times. "Is that a medical term?"

"You are impossible.

"I know. You keep telling me." Roy rose to his feet and stretched, popping his back into place. He turned toward the door, listening of any noise. "Well, I don't hear Starfire's snoring, she must be up."

Raven pulled the covers off her and sat up, stretching. She felt Roy's eyes on her and glared at him. "What?"

"I will never, in a million years, get over how you look in lingerie."

"It's not lingerie. It's underwear."

Roy snorted. "I don't care what it is, it's sexy."

"Oh my god..." Raven ran her fingers though her bedhead, trying to tame it. "Does your libido _ever _stop?"

"No, not really." Roy jumped back on the bed and straddled her hips. Raven shoved at him, but he didn't move this time. "Good morning, Sunshine." And he kissed her. Deeply. Raven tried to push at him, but it ended up more like a helpless clinging to his clothing. Of course Roy would have an ulterior motive. His hands reached around and started undoing the clasps on her bustier again. Raven pulled away and glared.

"You are bound and determined to undress me, aren't you?"

"Yes." His hands reached behind her again, but she slapped them away, calling him something rude. Roy was, of course, unfazed. "Oh, come on, Rae. It's just some good, wholesome fun."

"Really?" Raven was still struggling with his wandering hands. "My being naked is considered 'wholesome'?"

"For me."

"Oh good god, get up, Roy. We've got things to do."

"A few moments to play, Rae... come on."

"You're impossible. And _no_, no playing for you."

"GOOD MORNING!" Starfire burst through the door and stared at Raven and Roy as his hands were fighting against her's, trying to get under the bustier. Starfire cocked her head to the side and sighed. "It is too early to be playing games, Roy. It is probably best to leave Raven alone."

"See. She thinks so."

"Shut up." Roy nipped at her ear and stumbled out of bed, ignoring Raven's name-calling. "Morning Starfire."

"Make haste and get dressed. We have got plenty to do today."

"I know." Raven got out of bed and went to the sitting room to grab her clothes by the fireplace. She shimmied into the tight dress, ignoring Roy's whistles. He was going to be short a testicle if he didn't stop right now. Starfire was busy ripping off the extra fabric on her dress, calling it something undoubtedly mean in her native tongue. "So, where should we head to next? We lucked upon you, Starfire... but I'm not sure where else to go."

"So strange." Roy had moved toward the window, looking around for signs of Mumbo. "This place feels entirely different in the daytime, like a fairytale... but at night..." He chewed on his lower lip and looked back at Raven, who was struggling to buckle her other shoe. She glanced at him, just long enough to see the look of slight worry and confusion, but nothing else. "It's just not the same."

"Clearly." Raven looked at her reflection in an old, dusty mirror on the mantle and attempted to reassemble her hair into something normal. It kept trying to pop out in whatever direction it felt like. "What do you expect? It's Mumbo. He probably didn't make the spell correctly. I would bet there are huge flaws in its construction."

"That's not it... it feels _different_."

Raven stopped struggling with her hair and looked back at Roy. Different magic... her heart skidded to a halt as she thought about what "different magic" could imply. There were so many people, but one stuck out in her mind the most. The one person she'd _never _wanted to see again. But... he'd been locked in a trunk in her room for almost a year now. Hadn't he? It had been such a long time since she checked on him, could he really have escaped? "What do you mean by different?"

"I'm not sure."

"You're not being very helpful, Roy." Raven walked up to his and placed her hands on her hips. "I need to know what you mean by 'different'."

His eyebrows knitted together and he stared at her. "I don't know. And why is it so important?"

Raven frowned and turned toward the door. "Because."

Roy reached out to grab her but Starfire shook her head, touching his shoulder. "Raven should be trusted when it comes to magic. She is well educated on the subject and knows what is best. If there is something she does not wish to speak about it is because she has good reason."

Raven tried to ignore the comment. It had nothing to do with magic. It had everything to do with what had happened to her a year ago, and her own fight with a treacherous, manipulative dragon. She sighed and threw open the door, blocking the memories she wished she could forget. Beautiful, empty words. Roy didn't need to know about that, not yet. The bruise was still black against her heart, and Raven didn't know if it would ever heal. "I think we need to get going, it's going to be a long day and we've still got to find our friends."

Starfire, who had finally managed to tear off a few feet of fabric, so her dress was a more manageable length, skipped out the front door and made a b-line for a rather large puddle at the end of the path. She jumped into it, splashing water all over herself and giggling like a school-girl. Raven rolled her eyes and sighed. "I swear, sometimes it's like having a child around."

"She does make the mood light." Roy's fingers reached out and snagged her own. Raven stared down at their hands before looking up at him, frowning. Did he have to be so annoyingly perceptive? She tried to tug her hand out of his, but he couldn't let her go. "I just want to know happened to you... why is magic such an issue? I mean..." His words trailed off and he sighed, giving up on his words. "I hate not knowing how to help you, especially when I know I can."

"How do you know that you _can_?" Raven was still yanking at her hand, but his grip was too strong. "How do you know you can help me? What if you cant? What if there's nothing you can do? What if whatever happened to me is stuck?" Raven growled up at him. Would he let her go already? He'd made his point.

"Because I promised you." Roy's expression was so tense and so severe, that Raven took a step back. She swallowed a growing lump in her throat, trying not to look into his eyes. Roy closed the space between them, ducking his head down to that they were only inches apart. Raven thought her ribs were going to crack under the pressure of her heart. "Because I refuse to believe that there's nothing I can do to help you." And he kissed her.

This time, Raven didn't fall into a melted puddle. In fact, she got angry. He never listened to her! No matter what she said to him or how she said it, it was like water through a sieve. She gave his shoulders a shove, putting much needed space between them. Not this time, not when she had the scariest thoughts tickling the back of her head. "Stop kissing me! It's just going to irritate me more."

Roy chuckled. "It's always worked before."

Raven sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead, choosing to ignore his comment. "What makes you think you can learn all my secrets and start a relationship in the same day?" She turned away from him and started walking down the path. "One or the other."

"Because that's what a 'relationship' is, Raven. It means we share things with each other, good and bad. And right now I know there is something you aren't telling me and it's not fair. I want to help you." Roy opened his mouth, about to say something else that was undoubtedly rude. But Starfire started running up to them, holding something in her cupped hands. She squealed like a small child and bounced on her feet in front of them. Raven and Roy looked at each other and then back to Starfire.

"Look who I found!" And she uncupped her hands, a small glow appearing between her fingers. Raven breathed a sigh of relief as she looked down into the glow.

Finally, some sanity. "Bee. Thank goodness."

"Will someone tell me _what the hell is going on_!"

)O(

_I feel like these chapters keep getting progressively shorter! Oh my! I better fix that for next time. Anyway, sorry for anyone who was looking for me to update something a little older. This chapter spilled out before I could finish "Wide Awake" which should be the next thing I update. Let me know how you liked this one, I know it was a little all over the place, and I'm not sure how edited it actually is. But Thumbelina has been introduced and next is Hansel and Gretel. Yay! I love edible houses :)_

_Please leave a review and let me know what you think!_

_With love always: Xaph!_


	5. Discoveries and Hansel and Gretel

**Little Blue Riding Hood  
**Chapter Five  
_In Which Little Blue Makes an Important Discovery and Our Heroes Rescue Hansel and Gretel_

)O(

Raven folded her legs under her as she listened to Bee rant. For a moment at least, it seemed like she was in heaven. There was finally one more person with some sanity, thank the powers that be. Someone she could finally get along with, and who wasn't a slightly vacant alien or a self proclaimed "scandalous rogue" who was determined to undress her at every opportunity.

Bee was seething, throwing her hands up and shouting as loudly as she could, which must have been difficult given her size. "I don't know _what _happened. All I know is that in the course of a few minutes I went from having a _great _Halloween party, to fighting Mr. Freaky Blue Magician. And the next thing I know I'm stuck in my smallest form, in this stupid forest, looking like 'politically correct' Tinkerbelle in this stupid, green dress!" She huffed out a breath of irritated air, trying to tug the hem of her mini dress down. It bounced back to an unreasonable length and she growled again "Will someone just clue me in before I commit murder?"

Raven let go of a deep breath she didn't know she had been holding. Roy looked at her and shrugged as if he wasn't sure what to tell _his _leader. Raven growled under her breath before turning back to Bee. "Well, we would if we could. But we are just as confused as you. As far as I can tell, this whole world is an intricately casted spell. We probably haven't physically moved from the club the whole time."

"Great. So, now we're just hanging out in a spell until we can figure out how to get out of it?" Raven shrugged and shook her head, which wasn't the answer Bee wanted. She let her shoulders fall. "Damnit. I've been looking for the rest of my team all day and night, and I couldn't find _anyone._" Her gaze whipped around to stare at Roy, who was suddenly standing a few steps away from the group, pretending to be interested in some kind of greenery next to the house. Bee's head cocked to the side, glaring at him. "How did you find them, Roy?"

"Ah, well..." For the first time in her life, Raven saw a shade of red color Roy's cheeks and he looked away. She tried not to snort at the sight. Who would have guessed that Roy was intimidated by something as small as Bee? But then again, that girl packed a punch no matter what form she was in. Roy cleared his throat and he turned back to her. "Raven and I ended up being in this… together."

"Oh… that's _right._" Bee smirked at him, and his blush grew darker. Raven could feel her own face coloring at the knowing stare. Damnit, did _everyone_ know about their non-relationship? Bee's smirk had turned into a very toothy grin. "You chased after her into the alley. To check and make sure she was okay… and was she?"

"I was fine, so let's move on!" Raven threw up her hands, effectively halting the conversation. A subject change needed to happen _now,_ before things were said that could not be unsaid. Especially from Roy's mouth, which she didn't trust in the slightest."Right now, we can assume that every Titan that was in the nightclub _should _have ended up here. So far we know that the four of us are here, which means the spell did not discriminate against teams. Which, if we follow the same train of logic, our friends should all be here."

"I always liked the smart girls." And there goes Roy's mouth again.

"Your commentary is not needed, Roy." Raven tried to ignore Starfire and Bee's giggles, but they kept getting louder.

"So…" Bee wiped at the corners of her eyes, trying to straighten her face and take this siruation seriously. "Aqualad and Mas y Menos should be here too. Good. That makes me feel a little better."

Bee made a face and Raven watched her as her mind worked furiously to piece the puzzle together. It was probably the worst situation possible for everyone involved. They just weren't ready for something like this. Everyone had been split up, powers had been lost, and no one knew exactly _how_ to combat this spell. The only thing that Raven, Starfire, Roy, and Bee had to use was Raven's clumsy assumptions about the spell. Bee looked up at Raven and sighed. "You know… Yesterday, I saw a weird house in the woods, but I was so concerned with finding my team, that I didn't even think about it. But I'm wondering if it could be useful. If it means something."

Roy's eyebrows knitted together. "What kind of house?"

Bee looked up into her friends' faces. "Don't think I'm crazy or anything, but it was made of candy. Like a gumdrop roof an everything… it was _weird._"

"Oh. Wait… wasn't there a candy house in Hansel and Gretel?" Raven sighed and ran a hand through her hair, snagging her fingers in a few tangles. She growled and fought with it for a moment, before she noticed Bee's shocked stare.

"_Hansel and Grettel_? Like the fairytale?" Bee snorted and cocked a hip to the side. "Did you hit your head when you came in here?"

Raven rolled her eyes, so much for sanity. She looked at Starfire and Bee, who were both staring at her strangely. Well, Starfire looked a little confused, but that was to be expected, she barely knew enough about earth culture let alone literature. Raven sighed. "No, I'm serious. When Roy and I ended up here we ran into a blue cat that looked a little like… well, _Mumbo_, and he called me by Little Riding Hood and Roy as Robin Hood_._" The shocked stare didn't cease and Raven rolled eyes. "What I think really happened was that Mumbo has created a very complex spell in which we are all fairytale creatures and we have to complete a designated task before we get out."

"Are you serious?"

Raven nodded. "Unfortunately. Look, I'm dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, Starfire is Rapunzel or was until we used her hair as rope, Roy is Robin Hood, and you are… Thumbelina, would be my best guess. But I guess you could be 'politically correct Tinkerbelle'." She shook her head and sighed again. Bee just stared at her, mouth hanging open. Raven waved a hand at her. "It sounds stupid, Trust me I _know_, but as far as I can tell it's the truth."

Bee rubbed her forehead, mumbling about a headache. "Okay, so we're _in_ a spell as fairytale creatures… we have to complete a designated take before we get out… did that cat tell you what any of our tasks might be?" Bee sighed and sat, crossing her legs underneath her. "Because I'm not much use to anyone right now in my current size, so if I have to _fight _something… it could just end badly."

Raven shook her head. "No, he didn't say anything _specifically._ Like climb to the tower and free the princess. He did mention saving a princess, but we already did that so clearly that was not our task. He also said something about a golden goose, or possibly fighting a dragon." Raven felt her stomach drop as she thought about the dragon. Pieces seemed to snap into place as Roy's previous comments made her think. Why hadn't she considered that option? Could it really be _him_ pulling the strings? Anger, frustration, betrayal, disgust, and a few other emotions rose into her throat and she stood up. "I'm sorry, guys… I need a second to think." She walked down the dirt path so that she was out of ear-shot of her friends.

A _dragon_. Why didn't she see it before? Of course the spell was too complex for Mumbo to perform on his own, but it wouldn't have been for someone like Malchior. And, if the two of them built the spell together, it would have made the inconsistencies they saw. It would have explained why the energy at nighttime was so much darker than the day. Raven was sure that Mumbo was dealing with magic he didn't understand, and for the first time she felt sorry for him. This was doing to end in disaster.

"Raven?"

Raven bit back a curse and turned around to face Roy. Of course he would have followed her, he couldn't leave her alone long enough to let her collect herself. His expression was stern, and his lips turned down in the beginnings of a frown. He was balancing on his heels, arms crossed over his chest, as if he were readying for a fight. Raven rolled her eyes and took a few extra steps to keep them separated. "What do you want?"

"What is going on?" Roy took a few extra steps to close in on her. Raven glared, but didn't move this time. Let him think he was safe for a few more moments. She glanced behind him and saw Starfire and Bee staring at her, waiting for something to explode. Roy reached out and took her hand. "Raven… you've been edgy since this morning, was it something I said about the magic?" He sighed when she didn't respond. "Look, I know nothing about magic, we both know that, so whatever I said could have been… oh, I don't know, a hiccup in the spell. But, there is something serious going on with you and you're keeping it locked away. I thought-"

"Don't say it!" Raven snapped her hand away and Roy reeled back from her. Color flooded her face and she turned away from him, ashamed. The silence hung between them like a guillotine blade before Raven let the blade drop. "We _can't_ have a relationship. That is not an option right now. It can't be."

"And that's what you're upset about?" Raven felt his eyes continue to stare at her, but she couldn't face him. Roy seemed to understand what she was getting at, and he took another step away from her. "I see… and will it _ever _be an option? Because last night you made it seem like it could."

"I… I don't know." She cringed at her own words. He was right, after their conversation last night, she led him to believe that it _was _an option and that she might have had serious feelings for him. But now… with Malchior lurking in the dark places of this spell, there was no telling what was an option and what wasn't. But she didn't want to chance anything, least of all placing Roy in danger so Malchior could get to her. Malchior was by far, the prime example of why superheroes weren't allowed to have relationships.

"Well then…" There was a moment where shock showed in his expression before anger took over, and Roy snarled at her. Raven took a few steps away from him, feeling pain lodge in her throat. "_Fine,_ Raven. At least I know now how you fee. I mean, I wouldn't want you to lead me on or anything." He turned around and stalked off, leaving Raven feeling like her chest had just cracked open and her heart spilled to the ground. But she couldn't worry about that now, if Malchior knew she was in his spell, then being close to Roy _was not_ an option. Malchior would learn about their feelings, and he would use it against them. Just like she warned Roy about.

Raven held her head and sat down on the dirt, trying to calm herself. Her nerves were nearly jumping out of her skin at this point. She needed a minute to think, a minute to recollect everything in her. This was _terrible_, the worst situation ever. She was finding that maybe she did like having Roy around, that he wasn't such a terrible companion, and he was a _fantastic _kisser, but his safety came before her feelings. So, what choice did she have?

"Raven?" Starfire had walked over to where she sat and plopped down next to her. Raven fought off the urge to curse, but instead forced a smile. Starfire shook her head and sighed, her lips turning into a frown. "Do not pretend happiness with me, you should not do that to your friends." Raven cringed at her intuitiveness, but kept silent.

"Malchior is… part of the spell, I know it. That what these strange irregularities are, how day is so different than night, and vice versa." Raven shook her head. "This adds a whole new level of difficulty."

"I had the same assumption last night, when that creature attacked you. The magic, like Roy said, felt different. Darker and meaner." Raven jerked suddenly and looked over at Starfire, who looked suddenly very guilty. She _knew_? Or guessed it and didn't tell her? Starfire rubbed her arms and tried to give her an apologetic smile. "I was afraid that if I told you, you would get nervous and upset. Things would have ended badly last night, and that was not fair for you or Roy." Raven felt color rise to her face again. "Besides, I was not totally positive of what I sensed, and… you seemed _preoccupied_ with something else."

Raven held her head in her hands and tried not to groan. So, Starfire and Roy were able to sense the changes in magic, but _Raven _(the half-demon sorceress) was so caught up in her own tumultuous emotions that she completely missed them? She was torn between feeling like an idiot and feeling like she wanted to cry. This was just ridiculous. "I can't believe you noticed it before me, Starfire…"

"It has been a very difficult time for you, Raven. I do not blame you for not noticing." There was a short pause between them and Starfire looked over at Raven, offering her a small smile. "If I may make a suggestion… I do not know exactly what you are feeling this moment, Raven, but perhaps it would be a good idea to share some of your thoughts with Roy. He cares for you a great deal and removing him from your life has only upset him. It is just a suggestion."

Raven paled as she stared at her friend. Was she suggesting she relay the whole story of Malchior and his lies to Roy? But for what purpose? Roy would hear the story and then learn about her mistakes, the fact that she nearly killed all of her friends because she was desperate for someone to "understand" her. That was a skeleton she wasn't ready to look at herself, let alone have someone else see it. Starfire gave no other indication of what she said, and stood up dusting off her skirts. She offered Raven her hand, and pulled her friend to her feet. "We are going to head in the direction of the house the Bumblebee said she found yesterday. Perhaps it will be one of our friends as this Hansel and Gretel."

Raven felt a bit like she was going to throw up. Too much was happening all at once. "Let's hope."

"Mm." Starfire started after their friends, and Raven followed close behind.

Thank goodness for the intense early morning light. As they started into a denser part of the forest, light seemed to trickle off, until everything was dim around them. They stumbled through the forest in silence, listening to nothing more than the crunch and snap of leaves under their feet. The tension between Roy and Raven was thick enough to cut with a knife. She didn't look over at him, and she never felt his eyes on her, and there was almost something kind of sad about the lack of lecherous comments. Raven had kind of gotten used to them over the course of the last day.

Roy kept lead while Raven and Starfire walked next to each other. Bee was traveling along in a makeshift pocket on Starfire's dress, and the two of them started chatting after the silence became too much. Starfire seemed to enjoy having the company, and Bee was just glad there was someone she could vent to. Not that Raven blamed them, she probably would have been conversing with Roy if he wasn't so upset with her. Raven and Roy, however, kept quiet.

It felt like they had been stumbling around for hours, and eventually, they stopped by a stream to rest for a moment before going even deeper into the forest. Bee swore she saw the house close to this stream, Raven was praying she did, her feet were dying in these stupid heels. Of all the things she hated about the spell, her shoes were the worst. Raven sat next to the stream, dipping her bare toes into the icy water. She plashed around a little, letting her mind wander.

"Starfire said I should talk to you, so that is what I'm doing."

Raven started and looked up at Roy, who was frowning. How hadn't she heard him approach her? Raven sighed and splashed some water around , thinking about what Starfire had said. She _was _right, Roy did deserve a full explanation of what happened between her and Malchior, but she was just too afraid to tell him. There were a lot of mistakes in that story. Raven glanced back at him, frowning. "She also suggested that I tell you the truth… so I guess that's what I'll do."

Roy looked confused for a moment, but sat down next to her anyway. "Which is?"

"The other magic you feel is… was… a…" Raven sighed and turned to face him. "Did anyone at the tower ever tell you of Malchior?"

Roy nodded slowly. "It was mentioned in passing, but I never got the whole story. Why?"

"Malchior was, well… I guess you could call him a boyfriend… to me." Roy's jaw ticked, but there was no other indication of emotion. Raven continued anyway. "Long story short he taught me dark magic, nearly got me and a few innocent bystanders killed, and when I released him he proceeded to betray me." Roy looked genuinely sympathetic, but Raven didn't want sympathy. She wanted support, and needed him to understand. "For whatever reason, I believe he _and _Mumbo built this spell together, which is why there are two different kinds of magics, or two different feelings for day and night. Different magics don't always work well together, and there will always be… _hiccups_, like you said."

"Okay, so why does this mean we can't… be together?"

Raven sighed and looked over at Roy. "Because Malchior must know I'm here, and will use our 'relationship' against me or you. And now I'll get to my main point: I told you so."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, Raven. Very funny." He paused and turned back to her. "You remember what I told you last night, right?"

"Yes, I remember, but that doesn't change anything right now." She glared at him from beneath her plum bangs. But, he didn't seem all that concerned with her death stare. "The only thing we should be aware of is… _this._" She motioned between them and Roy frowned. "If Malchior sees _this_, he will use it against me or you. Please believe me that _this_ is bad, and should be avoided at all costs."

"So… you didn't lead me on?"

"No. I just…" Raven stopped mid-sentence and stared at him. "Exactly _what _does that have to do with anything? I am trying to make you realize how dangerous this situation is, why aren't you grasping that concept? He's a giant dragon who will use whatever means necessary to get what he wants."

Roy shrugged. "At the end of the day, he's just a dragon. And I've faced worse."

"So, if he kidnaps me and threatens to kill me…" Raven raised an eyebrow, but Roy shrugged again.

"I will save you… I thought we already had this conversation." Roy crossed his arms over his chest.

"We did, but you seemed intent on reiterating how you _won't_ always be there to save me." Raven pulled her feet out of the water and started pulling on her knee-high tights. Roy's eyes seemed glued to her skin and followed the line of her leg clear up her skirt. She rolled her eyes and nudged his shoulder with her toes. "Are you even paying attention to what I'm saying?"

"Sometimes." Roy leaned forward so that their noses almost touched. Raven felt her heart pick up speed at their closeness and she had to fight the urge to pull him closer. What was he doing to her? He looked into her eyes, searching them for his answer. "I will always protect you, Raven… I just might not always be able to save you. We can get through this together."

"I…" Raven opened her mouth to say something, but Starfire interrupted. She breathed a sigh of relief, thank goodness for small miracles. Raven looked up at Starfire who was on the other side of the stream, bouncing up and down and waving. "What is it, Star?"

"We have found the sweet house made of candy and cookies!" And she took off through the tree line.

"Star! Don't go running off! You don't have any powers!" Raven growled and crawled to her feet. "Damnit. She never listens to me I swear!"

Roy snorted. "Sounds familiar."

"Ha ha." Raven rolled her eyes and jumped across the stream. She heard Roy follow behind her as they weaved and slipped through the trees. Occasionally, Raven and Roy caught flashes of pink and fire-red, so they knew they were still behind her. Finally there was a clearing of thick, wooly moss, and in the middle of it sat something out of… well, a fairytale. It was a quintessential gingerbread house, complete with peppermint sticks for support and a gumdrop roof. The smell surrounding it, however, was sickeningly sweet and Raven recoiled a little from the stench.

"It smells awful. Like… rotting cookies." Roy covered his nose with his hand and coughed. "How would anyone be drawn to that smell?"

"Well, if you're under the age of ten, there isn't a whole lot you notice when it comes to a house made of candy." Raven looked over at Starfire, who was enjoying the scent as if it were some kind of designer perfume. Leave it to Starfire to be just a little _off_. Raven shook her head and started approached the house. She could see handfuls of gingerbread completely missing from around the side. The holes looked to be around the height of Mas y Menos. Raven felt a little better knowing that they were here, but slightly less so when she remembered that the witch liked to _eat _the children she caught.

"Alright, our resident librarian." Raven glared at Roy, but he just grinned at her and continued. "What are we dealing with?"

"Roy… are you for real?" Bee's incredulous voice made him look down into Starfire's makeshift pocket. Bee was shaking her head and sighing. "You've never heard the story of Hansel and Gretel? Are you a complete moron?"

Raven snickered, but tried to keep silent. Roy glared and she held up her hands. "Calm down, Roy. Starfire doesn't know either. Although, she _is _an alien from another planet, but details… details." He continued to glare. Raven just rolled her eyes. "Look, Hansel and Gretel were forced out of their home by their mother who didn't want to feed them. They got lost in the woods and found a charming house made of sweets, which happened to be owned by a witch who eats children. Eventually they trick the witch, throw her into the oven and run away with her treasure."

"That is gruesome." Roy made a face of disgust. "And people read this to their _children_?"

Raven shrugged. "There's a moral. Don't trust strangers with candy."

"Clearly they didn't have the 'Good Touch, Bad Touch' lesson we had to sit through."

"Roy…" Bee was rolling her eyes. "Sometimes your stupidity amazes me."

"Why would the witch want to each _children_?" Starfire was chewing on her lips, still trying to piece everything together. "Are they particularly nutritious? Or have special powers?"

Roy interjected before anyone could respond. "Did you ever read 'A Modest Proposal'?"

Raven's mouth fell open as she stared at Roy. There was a moment where both Bee and she looked at him as if he had grown a second head. Was he insinuating that he might have had _some _grain of intelligence in his empty head? Raven finally broke the silence. "Roy, are you telling me that _you've _read Swift's 'A Modest Proposal'?"

He shrugged. "I had to in school. Isn't that a requirement for everyone?"

"Yes, but I had to retell you the story of Rapunzel_ and_ Hansel and Gretel. You knowing something as advanced as that essay makes me seriously wonder about you." Roy just shrugged again. Raven shook her head and turned back to Starfire. "No, children are not nutritious or have powers. It's just meant to scare children into good behavior, and remind them that when you are good you get rewarded."

"Oh." Starfire nodded. "I think I understand."

"Can we just get going?" Bee, the voice of reason. Raven looked down at her, and she was nearly jumping out of Starfire's pocket. "I have a sneaking suspicion that Mas y Menos are in there and I would like to get them out as quickly as possible, if you don't mind. You know… before they get _eaten_."

"Let's go then." Roy cocked an arrow in his bow and started closer for the house. Raven and Starfire stayed close behind him, eyes scanning the tree line for any strange signs or movement. They crossed without incident and Raven threw open the door. Mas y Menos were hanging from the ceiling in iron cages, dressed in lederhosen and puffy white shirts. Bee let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Thanks goodness, are you boys okay? Are you hurt?"

"Nicht."

Raven looked at Roy and his eyes got suddenly wide. "Damnit! Are you only speaking German now? _Just _when I was finally beginning to understand Spanish, you have to go and change everything on me!" He threw his hands up and groaned. "This is _so _not fair."

Bee jumped onto the table and turned to face him. She put her hands on her hips and glared, Roy snapped his mouth shut. "They are _safe _and intact, _that_ is all that matters, Roy. So… shut it. You'll deal with the German until we get out of this stupid spell and back to being _normal_. Now, go pick that lock and get them out of there so we can go."

Roy grumbled under his breath as he stepped forward and started to pick the lock, carefully pushing the pins into place. Raven stood next to the door, looking for any signs of Mumbo. It _appeared _quiet, but you never knew with Mumbo. The metal doors swung open, and Mas y Menos jumped out, chattering in German. Roy looked ready to tear his hair out, but kept silent.

"Okay, let's get going before our resident magician shows up." Raven took one step outside the door and a spell shot past her left ear. She swore audibly and dropped down to her knees. Roy was already next to her, arrow cocked and ready. "Well, clearly he beat us to the punch."

"I don't see him… he's getting smarter." Roy looked around the side of the house and another spell shot past him. Roy snorted and turned back to Raven, who was trying not to curse at him. That boy needed to be more careful or he was going to get hurt. "Never mind, he's right there. Not a problem."

"Don't you dare aim that arrow at me!" Mumbo's slightly squeaky voice bounced into the house, but Roy did not drop his bow. The angle was awkward, but he held his hand steady, and Raven felt a small bubble of pride well up in her chest. He was really quite good. Mumbo growled at them and moved closer to the house. "I wouldn't use another arrow if I were you. Why, you've only got so many arrows available, Speedy… exactly what will happen when you run out?"

"I'll make more. It's a good thing I know how." Roy let the arrow fly straight through Mumbo's chest. There was a flash of light and glitter, and Mumbo disappeared cursing their names. Roy and Raven breathed a sigh of relief before falling back onto the floor. "Alright, we're safe for now."

"Well, that was close. Hey, Bee?" Silence. Raven sat up and turned around. Her stomach dropped to the floor at the almost empty house. Both Bee and Starfire were gone, as if they had simply disappeared. Mas y Menos were trying desperately to explain what happened, but they were fighting to understand themselves. Menos had taken to waving his arms around and shouting "boom" but that did nothing to explain what happened.

Something finally clicked and Raven turned to Roy. "I think we completed their task."

"So, _they _get to go home, but we're still stuck here? Even thought we did all the work! How is that fair? Tell me." He groaned and covered his face with his hands. Mas y Menos kept chattering on in German, and Roy groaned louder. "Great, and now we're stuck with Hansel and Gretel."

"It could be worse." Raven gave a half-hearted shrug.

He turned and stared at her. "How?"

"OH MY GOD! I AM SO GLAD I FOUND YOU!"

"Uh… Hi, Flash."

)O(

_So… I have no good excuse as to why it took me so long to write this. I wish I did… Anyway, please let me know what you think, I love to hear from you. _


	6. Discussing The Particulars of Magic

**Little Blue Riding Hood  
**Chapter Six: In Which all our Heroes Search for Shelter and Discuss the Particulars of Magic

)O(

Raven crossed her arms over her chest and stared at her friend. Well… "friend" was a peculiar term for a giant, running cookie in the general shape of Wally West, but it was about as close as she was going to get right now, because he sure as heck wasn't totally human.

"Wally… what in the hell happened to you?"

"I _don't know_." He rubbed his head as if he were trying to remember exactly what happened at the club. "One minute everything is fine and dandy and I'm carrying on a pleasant conversation with Jinx-"

"Wait, Wally." Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned, trying to recall images of the night club. She had _thought _she saw Jinx, but no one believed her. After all, why would _Jinx_ come to a _Titan_ party? Oh, right… stupid, cocky Wally West. "Did _you _invite Jinx to _our_ party?"

"No."

Raven glared and watching him shuffle under the weight of her stare. Oh, he was _so_ dead.

"Yes." Wally rolled his eyes and leaned back to stare at her. His joints crunched and crumbled a little under the pressure. "Come _on_, Rae. We weren't even at the tower, and she already proved she was good. I don't see what the big deal is."

"_Once_. She proved herself _once_. And it was a _Titan_ party."

"She's an Honorary Titan, Rae. Close enough, right?"

Raven groaned again. "Wally, I swear I will sic a hungry Beast Boy on your giant cookie body."

"Ow. Harsh, Rae."

"Stop calling me 'Rae,' Wally!" She wished her powers were back, she would send him to the furthest dimension she could think of, just to get him to shut the hell up.

"Why not? Speedy calls you that all the time." There was a twinkle to his eye and crooked smile on his lips. Oh, he was playing Russian Roulette with her right now. "He's a _friend_ isn't he?"

Color flooded her face and Raven pulled her hood up. "You're impossible."

"Hey, Rae." Roy's voice called out as he broke through the tree line, Mas and Menos in tow. Raven cringed and she whipped around to glare at him. Behind her she could hear Wally's snickering, as if this was all a very funny joke. Perfect timing, Roy Harper. _Perfect timing_. He seemed oblivious to the impending doom, and decided that he should keep talking. "I think Mas y Menos passed by an ocean on their way here. At least, I'm hoping. Mas keeps making a whooshing noise and shouting _meer_. That kinda sounds like 'sea' in Spanish… right?"

"That's _great_, Speedy. Please, _shut up_." She turned away from him and stood up, ignoring Wally's snide smirk.

"Oh god…" He rolled his eyes and trotted up to her. "What is it now?"

She snarled at him. "Can you _not_ call me Rae?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You prefer Little Blue?"

Wally snickered behind them, and Raven gave him her best death stare. "Ha ha. Very funny."

"Raven…" He sighed and held up his hand to stop her from continuing. "I'm not even going to start with you. This would be our millionth fight within the past twenty four hours, so I'm just going to walk away."

"You're exaggerating." Raven rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "And we wouldn't be fighting if you would just keep your trap shut most of the time."

"Nope." Roy shook his head. "I am _not _taking that poisoned bait."

"Awe… it's sweet. You two fight like an old married couple."

Raven turned around to see a smug expression painted across his icing face. Oh, she was going to exact retribution the _second _she got out of this spell, and Wally would be her first victim. "I swear, Wally… I am going to break your legs off and feed them to Mas and Menos."

"Cannibalism!"

"Oh, shut up. You're a giant, running cookie. It's only cannibalism if you resemble something human." She pressed a hand to her forehead and tried not to swear up a storm. Fate had to take away Bee, the only iota of sanity and normalcy within the whole, stupidspell. And now she was left with two miniature German-speaking twins, a lecherous "rogue", and a giant, running cookie that _must_ have had a death wish.

"Raven… we need to head in the direction of the sea." Roy cocked his hip to the side and stared at her. "If the boys said they saw a sea, then there may be a chance that one of our other friends is there."

Wally nodded and stood up. "He's got a point, _Rae_." He flashed her a snide smile, and Raven made a mental point to find a cow and threaten him with eternal, milky sogginess. "If there's a sea, then I bet you the Aqualad is there. I mean, even if he's stuck in some stupid spell, he'll go to what makes him comfortable."

Aqualad. Raven breathed a sigh of relief. Oh, thank the Goddess, another piece of sanity in this sea of craziness that someone called a spell from Mumbo. He was the only other person she knew to be levelheaded and pragmatic. Maybe that would keep her from attempting to violently murder the four other boys, no matter how much they deserved it. "Okay. You have a point."

"Good." Wally stood up and started walking toward Roy and her. "Then let's head out!"

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and followed behind Wally. Roy fell into step next to her readjusting his quiver on his shoulder. She looked up at him and heaved a deep sigh. "I am seriously starting to doubt my decision making skills."

"Awe, come on. He made a valid argument." Roy nudged her shoulder and smiled. "Wally's a good kid. At least give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Did you really just call me a _kid_, Roy?" Wally turned around and raised an icing eyebrow. "I'm two months younger than you."

"You're also a giant, running cookie."

"That has nothing to do with why you just called me a _kid_."

"Will you two just _shut up_?" Raven pinched the bridge of her nose again and pushed ahead of all of them. The male-to-female ratio was going to make her lose her mind before she even had a chance to _try_ to save it. "We've got a long walk to the sea, I'm sure, and then we have to figure out some kind of shelter for tonight. Because _I_ am not getting attacked by a… a… _kappa_ again or rained on, and as much as I want to see a soggy Wally, I'll bet he would like to keep himself whole. So, let's just _shut up_ and press forward. Do I make myself _clear_?"

"Crystal."

Wally had taken to cowering behind Roy, and nodded in agreement. Mas and Menos did the same thing, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like prayers in German. Raven rolled her eyes and started in the direction the boys had been pointing, hoping to whatever deity had cursed them there, had also somehow magically placed an ocean in that direction.

"I think you've sufficiently scared the crap out of them." Roy chuckled under his breath as he moved to walk next to her. "Maybe they'll be a bit easier to lead."

"I'm not sure if you're trying to be a jerk or not." Raven sighed and rolled her eyes before turning to look at him. He smirked down at her and it only seemed to irritate Raven even more. He always managed to push her buttons the right way until she was ready to violently strangle him. Taking a deep, calming breath, she glanced over her shoulder at the rest of her team and felt a strange and alien desire to protect them. Okay, they might all be annoying little monsters, but that didn't mean that they should be caught up in this spell. After all, Mas and Menos were just kids.

Raven pushed through a thick patch of underbrush before continuing. "I am _serious_ about shelter though. It's getting dark soon, and I don't want any of us out wandering around when we don't know _exactly_ what is out here at night. I'm not going to have anyone else hurt."

Roy looked down at her, his face suddenly serious at the inadvertent mention of last night's attack. "I understand what you're thinking." He seemed to mull something over for a moment, and in the silence Raven could hear Wally attempting to play I-Spy with the boys in German. He was failing miserably, but his attempts were amusing enough.

"Do you really think it was a kappa that attacked you?" Roy's sudden question made her look up, nearly tripping over her own feet. He fidgeted with his bow for a moment before continuing. "I mean, if that's the case, then we have a whole world of trouble on our hands. It means Mumbo and Malchior are mixing a million different legends and lore together with two different kinds of magic, and the only way I can describe it is volatile. It's not just the magic mixing that's bad, it's the stories too. It's gonna blow up at some point."

"And we're the ones caught in the middle. I know. I was thinking about the same thing." Raven stared into the distance, feeling her blood thicken and cool at his musings. If she and Roy were right, then there was a whole different world of trouble that could be waiting for them right around every corner. All of them were in serious danger. "I honestly don't know what it was that attacked me. A kappa is the best way I can describe it… it wasn't anything that _I'd _ever encountered before." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "It felt like a big, nasty toad."

"It wanted your teeth." Even Roy had to shudder at that thought. "Gross."

"I know." Raven rubbed her upper arm and continued to trudge through the forest in silence, trying to piece everything together. Nothing made sense. What was the _point_ of all of this? Was Mumbo just trying to prove something to all of them? That he was a master spell caster? It didn't feel right. There was so much effort and energy put into this spell, that it couldn't just be a _game_. It had to be something more. Or, was it just the way Mumbo _was_? All showmanship and magic?

"And what about Star and Bee?" Roy pouted for a moment, annoyed that their departure was before his. "How come they got to go home, but we did all the work?"

Raven shrugged. "I'm going to guess that each of us has a task assigned to us, and it doesn't matter _who_ completes the task. Once the task is completed, the threads of the spell are broken and that person gets to leave the spell, regardless of who accomplished the task. Star and Bee had to rescue Hansel and Gretel, so once Witchy-Mumbo was defeated, their threads in the spell were broken and they got to go home."

Speedy frowned. "That doesn't sound exactly _fair_."

"It's not." Raven glanced up at him. "But then again, we're not the ones who created the spell, so we don't exactly have a whole lot of say in what happens."

There was a long stretch of silence as everyone moved through the woods, working their way in the direction of the sea. Wally had finally given up on trying to play I-Spy and instead had taken to fending himself from the attack of angry crows. Apparently he tasted pretty good to some of the local fauna. Raven tried not to laugh at him, but it was rather amusing.

"Is it possible that the spell will weaken as more people are sent out of it?"

Roy's question broken Raven's silence and she turned and stared at him, trying to understand what he was asking her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you know a million times more magic than I do… but you called parts of the spells _threads_, right?" He waited for her confused nod before continuing. "So, if there are threads broken as tasks are completed, wouldn't that mean that the fabric of the spell is weakening? And if the fabric of the spell is weak, couldn't we find a way to break it apart?"

Raven was taken aback by his thoughtfulness and she had to stop and think about his questions for a long moment. What he was saying actually made _sense_, which kind of frightened her. "You actually have a _valid_ point, Roy. I'm shocked."

"Hey, it's been known to happen from time to time." He gave a half-hearted shrug and continued to think about what he had said. "So, if that's the case, then how many tasks do you think need to be completed before we can finally break the spell?"

"I don't know… it could be as few as one, as many as a hundred… there's no guideline for any of this." Raven looked up at him and tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sorry, Roy, I don't know how any of this works. I can kind of understand Malchior's logic when he maps out a spell, but Mumbo is a bit inconsistent and erratic."

Roy snorted. "You mean _crazy_?"

"That too, I guess…" Raven sighed, knowing she was rattling on. "I'm sorry, I won't know that much until I'm able to start feeling and understanding the spell. The only thing I know now is that there are inconsistencies between the two magics, and we're only going to find our soft spots in the spell at those inconsistencies, or when threads of the spell are broken by the completion of tasks."

Roy groaned. "My head hurts."

"Tell me about it…"

Roy rubbed the back of his neck and looked down on her, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "Thinking about all of this is really just making me sick."

Raven's face fell and she glared up at him. "_Please_ don't tell me you need some bad medicine."

Roy stopped mid-step and stared at her, face blank. There was a slow moment that passed over them before his eyes widened in shock. "I never even thought about that… You really _are_ kinky aren't you?"

"Oh, for the…" Raven rolled her eyes and walked ahead of him, trying to keep distance between them after her slip of the tongue. "Just, forget I said anything."

"Too late now, it's already been said. Although, I have to say that I knew there was a secret side to you." He chased after her, laughing. "It just took a few carefully chosen words to find it, huh?"

"I'm going to pretend we never had this conversation." Raven looked over at him, but she knew her eyes betrayed her words.

"Oh, no. You're going to think about it later, and then you'll smile and think of me. And how awesome I am." Roy laughed at her before he dropped back to talk to Wally, giving her space and silence to think about his words.

Raven shook her head and hid her smile in the shelter of her hood. Okay, Roy was a cad, a jerk, a dork, an idiot, frustrating, ridiculous, rude, and a million other nouns and adjectives that Rave couldn't even _begin _to describe, but there was still something about him that Raven found almost, maybe, kinda sexy. At the very least he was persistent, and that was something to be said.

Wally groaned and stopped walking, staring up into the sky as he pushed some more crows off of his head. "I can't believe it's already getting late. I feel like the day goes at a mile a minute."

"It probably does. Unfortunately, we don't have control over time. We're not the spell casters." Raven turned and looked back at Wally, noticing the length of everyone's shadows. Her stomach twisted in a weird way as she recalled her attack last night. It felt like they had left the woodcutter's cottage maybe seven hours ago at daybreak, but it was already starting to get dark. And, the deeper into the woods they got, the more shelter started to look somewhat elusive.

"You're a freaky half-demon, can't you fix that?"

Even Roy had to cringe at Wally's lack of tact. He shook his head and frowned at his friend. "Dude, not cool. Watch your words around her, okay?"

The corner of Raven's mouth twitched in something that resembled a smile and she glanced thankfully at Roy before turning back to Wally. "Yes, outside of the spell I am a freaky half-demon, Wally, but here… I'm just a young woman in a petticoat looking for her grandma's house. So, unfortunately, we're going to have to learn to work within the parameters of the spell. Sorry."

"Just _great_." He groaned and started to walk ahead of the others, muttering and cursing under his breath. Mas and Menos glanced at each other before following him deeper into the woods.

Roy looked down at their shadows and sighed. "We're not going to find shelter tonight, are we?"

"We're going to keep looking until it gets too dark." Raven paused and searched through the trees for any indication that there might be shelter nearby. She hadn't seen anything other than the house made of candy for a while. "But, I will admit that the prospect of finding shelter looks pretty grim."

"So, we're going to sleep under the stars and just _hope_ we don't get eaten or dismembered by kappa or other rogue fae?" He shook his head and cursed under his breath. "That sounds like a _great_ idea."

"Well, I don't have a better one at this point."

"Unfortunately, neither do I." He shook his head and watched their friends move forward. He shifted his weight before looking back at Raven. "I don't want you to get hurt again, Raven."

There was a seriousness to him that Raven rarely saw, and she forced a weak smile up at him. She felt tired all of the sudden, like she was just worn down to her bones. "I'll be fine, Roy. You don't have to protect me every minute of the day. I can handle my own when it comes down to it. We'll just have to cycle through guard duty. That's all." She turned and started after Wally and the boys. "It's just one night. I'm sure we'll find shelter tomorrow night. But for right now, let's just find a clearing and firewood. Okay?"

Roy stared after her and gave a resigning sigh. "Fine… I guess we don't have any other options, now do we?"

"Nope."

"_Great_."

)O(

Raven was having a very strange dream. She knew it had to be a dream, because she was running through the field toward Starfire's tower, shouting out for her friends. But the tower kept getting farther and farther away, until it was nothing more than a slash of white on the horizon. Fear sunk into her bones and she called out one last time, still expecting an answer from them. There was silence, and the wind whipped at her long cloak.

"Turn, Raven… Turn and embrace me."

The old world accent slithered down her spine and Raven closed her eyes tight, shaking her head. She refused to be bullied by him again. "No."

"Do not fear what you cannot see… I am here for you. As I have always been."

"You're not here for me! You're a monster!"

"A monster?" The voice chuckled and moved closer to her, warm, smoky breath curling around her neck. "I may be a monster, but _you_ are a demon. And the two are not so very different. Don't you agree?"

"No!" Raven gasped as she felt a hand wrap around her left arm and shake. She jolted awake and stared into the deep honey of Roy's eyes and frowned, biting back the curse on her lips. His eyebrows knitted together and he watched her for several, long moments before breaking the silence.

"Are you okay, Raven?"

She swallowed the thick lump in her throat and nodded, trying to hide her fear from Roy. Of all the people who could have seen her like that, it _had_ to be him. "Yeah… I was just having a bad dream. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

"Mm…" He didn't seem convinced, but let the subject drop. At least he was starting to learn when he could pry her for information and when he couldn't. He jerked his thumb at the fire over his shoulder. "You're turn for the next three hours."

"My turn?" She looked at their sleeping companions and groaned. That was right, she had chosen the second guard shift. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up, yawning.

"Yeah. It's been pretty quiet all night." Roy shrugged and took her spot on the bed of pine needles as Raven moved closer to the fire. "I think a few deer passed by earlier, but that's it."

"No rain?" She looked up into the clear sky, staring at unfamiliar constellations. "That's good."

"We were lucky tonight." Roy settled down on his back and watched her through heavy eyelids. "Wally's been talking in his sleep, by the way. It's been _great_. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's having a dirty dream with both Jinx _and _food."

"Ew…" Raven blocked that thought from her imagination and leaned her chin on her knees, listening to the silence between them. She brushed some dirt from her feet and picked a few leaves from her hair before she spoke. "I'm ready for a bath. A long, hot bath."

"No joke. I can smell you from all the way over here."

Raven glared at him, but she saw the smirk on his lips as he settled deeper into sleep. "I'm _serious_. You kind of forget all the things that make your life _easy_… like indoor plumbing and hot water."

He shrugged. "It's fine. Nothing we can't handle. We're big kids and all." There was another long stretch of silence that passed between them and Roy opened his eyes fully, still staring up into the sky. "Can I ask you something, Rae?"

Raven gave a one-shouldered shrug as she stared into the fire. "Sure."

"Is _this_ going to continue after we get out?"

Raven closed her eyes and tried to calm the beating of her heart. How did he always have the ability to do that to her? To make her melt with just a few questions? "I… I don't know. I don't want to sound like a broken record, Roy, but what exactly did you expect out of me? I'm not supposed to have emotions, I'm not supposed to have a… _boyfriend_, I'm not supposed to get tangled up in things like this. I'm a superhero, and that's my only job."

"Yeah, you do sound like a broken record. And don't pull that _superhero_ bull on me. I know Robin's trained you to think like that." Roy sighed and shifted his body into a more comfortable position, but still kept his eyes on her. "Do you even know what _you_ want? Because all I hear is what you believe you're not supposed or allowed to have."

Raven felt color return to her face as she opened her eyes again. "Yes, I know what I want. But that doesn't mean that I don't have reservations about my decision either."

"And those are?"

"What if you get hurt? What if someone undermines our relationship? What if it's used against us in battle?" She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, thinking. "Or, what if we get together only to find that we're the worst pairing anyone could have ever imagined?"

There was a low rumble from Roy's chest, something that sat between a noise of musing and a chuckle. "So, you _want _to be with me?"

"I want to try it." Raven finally worked up the courage to look over at him, meeting his eyes in the darkness. "If there's anything that can be said about you, it's that you're persistent. And sometimes I can see what you want me to see between us, and it looks almost as beautiful as you think it is."

"I'm sensing the ever-present 'but' in that statement."

"I don't want to get hurt."

There was a long, slow pause between them. "Is that what is _really_ keeping you away from me, Raven? Not all the other crap you keep spouting off about duties and superheroes, and _whatever_. Are you honestly afraid of being hurt?"

Raven gave another one shouldered shrug and looked back at the fire. "Isn't that what most people fear out of a relationship? Being hurt?" She sighed and pulled her knees tighter to her chest. "I've been hurt over and over in my life, Roy. For all intents and purposes, I'm damaged goods. I am not someone you want as a girlfriend. In fact, I'm not something you want as a _friend_. I get worried that you'll figure that out and suddenly I'll be hurt all over again."

"That's kind of the risk you take with _any_ relationship, Rae…" He propped himself up on his elbows, and Raven could feel his eyes staring at her back. "I know that taking the chance isn't an easy decision. Opening up to me and your emotions will probably be one of the hardest decisions you ever have to make. But, you're not alone. I'm here too, making the same choice and wanting the same things. And if things don't work out between us, then that's the way it goes, and at least we _tried_. But we won't ever know if it was worth it if we don't try." He paused for a moment before continuing. "And you're _not_ damaged goods, Rae. You can really piss me off when you stay crap like that."

Raven was unable to keep the smile off her lips and she glanced back at him, hiding her expression beneath her hood. "You say such pretty words, Roy."

"I say a lot of things to you, and I mean most of them." He let his back fall to the ground and he closed his eyes. "If it's any consolation, this whole _relationship_ thing is new to me too… I'm not exactly known for monogamy, you know."

"Oh, I'm fully aware. Your reputation precedes you more than I think you realize."

"_Great_."

"Don't worry too much, Roy…" She felt the snide smirk peel across her lips before she could stop it. "If I'm still considering the possibility of a relationship, then that must mean that it can't be _all_ bad." She chuckled under her breath. "And I have first-hand experience about the rumors of your kissing."

Roy shook his head and rolled away from her. "I'm not sure if you're trying to be coquettish or not."

"That's for you to figure out."

He grunted in annoyance and sighed. "Well, if anything, our relationship will never be dull."

"That's for certain." Raven watched him for a few moments before shaking her head and letting her normal, expressionless façade return. "Get some sleep, Roy. Tomorrow we have to go find the sea and see if we can't find our friend Aqualad."

"Well, at least you'll have more intelligent conversation."

"That's what I was hoping for." Raven waited for a snide response, but Roy had already fallen into a deep sleep, and Raven was left with only the memory of their conversation. She took a deep breath and continued to stare into the fire. Maybe things wouldn't be _so_ bad.

Just maybe.

)O(

_I didn't forget! I promise! I know it wasn't the most exciting chapter, but I am still trying to actively work on this.  
Anyway, please let me know what you think!_


	7. Reasons for Malchior

**Chapter 6.5**  
In Which Little Blue and Robin Hood Discover the Reason for Malchior  
(and take a bath together as fan-service)

)O(

Raven jumped awake as the smell of smoke hit her senses. Sweat ran down the back of her neck and her heart pounded erratically against her ribs as the echoes of his whispers faded in her ears. It was getting worse. Last night she heard nothing from the spell, but as the threads of magic were torn and ripped, she could hear him calling to her and reaching out for her. She could feel his slimy promises slide down her body, as if tempting her, and she could feel the smoke twist around her limbs and tug at her skin.

And through all this psychological torture, Raven could only come to one conclusion: Malchior had built this spell to trap her.

Taking a deep, slow breath, she glanced around the small campsite, her eyes adjusting to the gray, early morning light that filtered in between the leaves of the trees. Everyone was still fast asleep, and Roy was sprawled out on her bed of pine needles, snoring softly. She fought back a smile and moved away from them, trying to put distance between her and the dwindling fire. The smell made her nauseous and uncomfortable. Biting back bile, she realized the scent still clung to her skin and clothes, dredging up memories that would have been better left alone.

Why now? Why Mumbo? Of all the people he could have chosen to influence, why did it have to be _Mumbo_? He was a rather poor magician, and a cut-rate illusionist, so why him? And how did he get his hands on the book of Nol? Raven had thought she buried that wretched tome deep in the bowels of the Titan evidence vault, and yet here Malchior was, tormenting her in a web of magic that she had no idea how to fight. And now she was forced to confront him and emotions that she would have much rather left buried deep in her mind.

And Roy... Ugh. Roy was going to discover every gory detail about her relationship and interaction with Malchior.

Raven knew she had nothing to be ashamed of. She was not the only Titan who had fallen for a trap that broke her heart, Roy and Robin included, but she was _Raven_. She was supposed to be held to a higher standard than everyone else. She was supposed to be the island in the storm, the one rock everyone could cling to, and yet she had fallen just as easily as any one of her teammates. It was embarrassing to say the least, and downright mortifying when she was honest with herself.

A breeze brushed over her skin and Raven sneered as her own scent hit her nose. She still smelled like him, like smoke and the warm embers of a fire. Looking up at the dark, gray canopy, she was suddenly resolved to have a bath if it was the only thing she did today. She pulled leaves out of her hair as she wandered farther away from the camp site, knowing there was a fairly deep stream that ran through the woods. They had passed it yesterday when they were looking for a place to set up camp. It couldn't have been more than a half a mile away from the campsite, just far enough to keep her from prying eyes. The boys she trusted, Wally and Roy were an entirely different matter.

Wandering through the trees, she briefly wondered if she should have let Roy know where she was going, and then suddenly remembered that he was _Roy_, and would have undoubtedly followed her to the stream just to peep on her. That was the last thing she needed. Swallowing her reservations, she made her way to the stream, letting the silence wrap around her like a warm blanket. It was that perfect time of morning, where the birds hadn't quite woken up yet, but you could hear the doves coo softly in their sleep. It was peaceful and tranquil, but Raven had no idea what kind of spell would create such intricate beauty.

Through cracks between the trees, she saw the stream up ahead. It was icy cold, but clean and clear, and it would wash away the stench of fire from her skin. Raven peeled off her clothes and dipped them into the water before rubbing them on a nearby rock to agitate the fabric. She leaned back against the bank and dipped her toes into the water as she rinsed her clothes again. Something in her heart seemed to tell her that no matter what she did, she would never get rid of the smell. It was like a brand burned across her skin.

Raven sighed and pulled her clothes from the stream, wringing them dry and hanging them on a nearby branch to dry some more. Looking down at her naked self, she shrugged and waded into the water.

"Good Goddess!" Raven shivered as the cold ripped through her body, giving way to numbness, and eventually adaptation. Holding her breath she dipped underwater, running her fingers through her hair as the current rushed through it. She stayed under water for as long as she could, until she had to break the surface for air. Gasping, she stood up and stretched as far as she could, letting the stream curl around her stomach and energizing her body.

But her movements were greeted by a low whistle.

"Please, tell me I'm not dreaming."

Raven gasped and ducked down into the water, holding her arms around herself. "Roy! What are you doing?"

He laughed and leaned against the tree on the far side of the bank, inspecting her clothes hanging on the lowest branch. "You left the campsite. I just decided to go looking for you..." There was a long, slow pause. "I mean, I just wanted to make sure you're safe and not attacked by Mumbo or something. There's no harm in that, is there? "

"I'm bathing... _naked_. So, yes, there is a problem."

"Oh... I see. Want me to check for leeches? I'll make sure to give your body a thorough inspection." He started pulling off his weapons, tossing them in a pile at the base of the tree trunk. He gave another low whistle. "You washed your clothes too... awe, Rae. You're gonna be naked for a while, aren't you?"

Raven watched him disarm in horror. "You are _not_ coming into this stream, Roy Harper, so help me…"

"Or _what_, Rae?" He pulled off his boots. "You're gonna run from me? And go where? I'll still be standing here, watching you…" He pulled his shirt off over his head, and tugged at the under shirt as well. "You can threaten me all you want with spells and enchantments, but we both know that you're powerless here. I might as well take advantage of this blessing of serendipity."

Raven swallowed, her hand dipping below her legs to look for a weapon in the silt. Unfortunately, it was clean. "I will throw rocks at you."

He pulled his pants down and stepped out of them, taking the time to neatly fold his clothing, and acting like he had all the time in the world to torment her. "You wouldn't do such a thing... Besides, you know I'd catch it before it did any serious damage."

"Stop!" Raven clamped her eyes shut as he peeled off his underwear, the last remaining barrier of modesty between them. There was chuckle followed by a splash and then she heard him move closer to her, wading through the current toward her small frame.

"Come on now, Rae, you can't tell me you haven't seen a naked man before." There was humor in his voice, as if all of this was a very funny game.

"No. By some miracle I haven't, and I'd like to keep it that way." She felt a hand close around her wrist and tug, sending her off balance. Her body fell against something hard, wet, and warm. His body. His _naked_ body. Color flooded her face, but she refused to open her eyes. Just because she wanted to try a relationship, didn't mean she wanted to try _all _of a relationship so soon.

"Well, you're going to have to see me naked at some point, might as well be now."

His fingers ran down the curves of her back, but he made no move to try anything other than holding her. Silence surrounded them both, swirling in between spaces like the stream abound their waists, turning the air thick and heavy. Raven heard his fingers dip into the water next to her and he cupped his hand, spilling the cool liquid down her back. Raven shivered, but she was certain that it wasn't because of the temperature of the water anymore.

He chuckled and continued to spill more water on her, running his hands over the slick spots on her skin. It took a few moments of this before Raven realized that he was washing her body.

"You _can_ open your eyes, Raven. I won't blame you for looking."

"I do _not _want to see you naked, Harper."

"Really? That's a pity." His tone indicated there was a pout on his lips, but Raven didn't dare open her eyes to check. "I always thought I had kind of a nice body, but it you don't want to see it…" He pressed his lips against her ear and whispered, "I _guess_ I understand. And I'll just be content to stand here and stare at yours."

"Stop looking!" She tried to pull away, but he had a firm hold on her hips, keeping her from moving away from him. Raven fought against his hold, but it didn't seem to do her much good, and she settled for trying to glare at him with her eyes shut. She assumed it didn't look all that threatening, because he just laughed at her.

"I can't help looking… it's probably the only opportunity I'll get for a _long_ while."

"What do you mean by that?"

He laughed and pulled away a little bit, letting his hands relax on her hips. "I mean, you're kind of a prude. I don't expect we'll be doing the horizontal tango any time soon."

Raven rolled her eyes behind her eyelids. "Did you ever think there's a reason for that?"

"That my sexy demon is a virgin?"

Color flooded her face again. "That's _none_ of your business!"

"Awe, come on, Rae. I was just teasing." He ran his wet hands over her arms, rubbing them gently. There was another long silence that stretched between them, and Roy seemed to be pondering something in it. She felt his hands still, and he took a slow, deep breath.

"I heard you crying this morning. In your sleep." Pause. "Want to tell me what that was about?"

She had been crying? In her sleep? _Great. _"No."

"Okay. Why not?" His hands dipped into the water again and he ran his fingertips back up her back, trailing moisture behind them. She shivered again and leaned into him, and he continued his ministrations. "Come on, Rae. I thought you were going to trust me more."

"When did I say that?" She tried to keep a teasing note in her voice, but knew it sounded flat.

"When you said we would try this whole relationship thing. I'm pretty sure that relationships are built on things like _trust._" He tugged gently at her hair, as if punishing her. "Look, Raven…" He sighed and seemed to gather his thoughts. "I know you're a private and somewhat secretive person, but this is something serious. You were _crying_. You don't cry. Hell, you don't even whine, you just kick ass or threaten someone. As a potential boyfriend, I feel I have a right to know what is happening."

She sighed and finally opened her eyes, staring into his face (and nowhere else). "Malchior is reaching out to me in my sleep, at least his was this past evening. I didn't know I was _crying_, that's embarrassing, but I know he was trying to contact me." She pushed her wet hair out of her face, frowning. "I could hear him call out to me, touch me, whisper to me… and the only thing I can assume, is that he's trying to trap me."

Roy swallowed hard, staring at her, and Raven just stared back.

"Well, _say_ something."

"I can't say anything. I'm too angry."

Raven closed her eyes again and shook her head. "I don't want you _angry_. You wanted to know the truth. So, I told you. It's the perfect team, Roy. Think about it, Mumbo gets to bring down the Titans with the power of a powerful sorcerer, and Malchior gets to exact his revenge on me. _That's _what all this is about, not about 'crushing the Titans under the stories of old' or whatever bullshit Mumbo spouted off two days ago. It's about two magicians with vendettas against us."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"It's not supposed to." She looked up at him and sighed.

Roy reached out and trailed his fingers down her sides, spreading goose bumps over her skin. "Raven, I won't claim to understand exactly what happened between the two of you… in fact, I won't even pretend that I might possibly have some kind of remote idea, but I know without a doubt that I will protect you. From Mumbo, from Malchior, from this whole spell if I have too. I will always make sure you're safe."

Raven snorted and raised an eyebrow, her lips turning up into a shadow of a smirk. "You're sweet, Roy… but you do realize I could kick your ass any time I wanted to?"

The tension in the air broke and Roy laughed at her. "Oh? Really? Is that so?"

"Yeah… it is." Without realizing (or comprehending) what she was doing, Raven leaned forward and threw her arms around his waist. He teetered for a moment before her weight pulled him down into the cold stream. They floundered for a moment before Roy got his footing and pushed against her too, wrestling her under the water. Raven sputtered and swung her leg out to catch his own, forcing him back into the water again.

He laughed and held his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Okay. You can kick my ass. You've proven your point."

"Good." She stood up and pushed her hair out of her eyes, momentarily forgetting her own nudity.

"And you've given me a view to last a lifetime."

Blushing, she ducked back down into the water, wrapping her arms around herself again. "Roy!"

"Calm your tits, girl. I'll be good from here on out and stop sneaking peeks." He laughed and tugged at her arm, dragging her through the water and back to the shore. "Now, come on, let's go get dressed before the boys wonder where we are. I wouldn't want Wally to come looking for us and get to see my potential girlfriend naked. I might get jealous."

"Whatever." Raven kept the emotion out of her voice, but from her current standpoint behind him, she had to admit that he certainly had a _very_ nice looking behind.

)O(

_I know, it's not long, it's just a mini-chapter. I have to dedicate this mini-chapter to _IShipElectricChairs _because I can't resist a challenge. No. Seriously. You want me to write a chapter? Issue a challenge with a reasonable due-date and my response is: "Well, okay!"_

_The next chapter will hopefully be out soon. And you'll finally see Garth, Vic, and Gar in all their glory._

_Anyway, this chapter was kinda just fan-service, but let me know what you think anyway. _


	8. The Were-Merman

**Little Blue Riding Hood  
**Chapter Seven: In Which Little Blue Finds a Were-Merman_  
_

)O(

Raven stood at the edge of the woods, looking across the small, white-sand beach to the water stretched out in front of her. Behind her, she felt (rather than heard) Roy whisper something that was (undoubtedly) lewd, reminding her of their morning bath together, and her face erupted in varying shades of red as she tried to block out the image of his naked body. Too late. She turned around and glared at him, but he just laughed and pat her on the head, walking past her to their transformed teammates.

"So, this is the sea..."

"Well, it _is _a large body of water."

He turned around and rolled his eyes. "No need to be sarcastic." He raised a hand to shield his eyes against the high, noon-day sun and looked along the white sands. "Do you really think that Garth will be around here?"

Raven shrugged and kicked off her shoes, debating briefly on throwing them into the waves. She really hated the fact that she was running around an illusion looking like some literary nerd's wet dream. Roy's hand brushed against hers in a touch that seemed almost accidental, but sent white-hot electric shocks through her skin. She blushed and stepped away, lest she be reminded (again) of their bath this morning.

"Like I said, even if he isn't transformed into a sea creature-"

"Like the Kraken?" Roy interjected with a grin.

"-he will probably go somewhere that makes him feel at home, especially in a world filled with unfamiliar magic." She turned and looked at Roy, eyebrows knitting together. "The _Kraken_? Really?"

He offered an unapologetic shrug, the grin still splayed on his lips. "I would love to see him all angry and giant and tentacle-ly, eating ships and devouring seamen and things. It'll be like what his is every Monday morning."

"I hardly see Garth as the kind of Monday-morning cranky you're describing." Raven rolled her eyes. "Unless you kept him up with your senseless partying all night?"

For the first time in the entirety of their relationship, Raven watched as color spread across Roy's face and he looked away, embarrassed. He kicked at the sand for a moment before looking back at her, sheepishness nowhere on his face. "It's not my fault he's all boring and studious, and... an adult. He's just such a party pooper."

Raven fought to keep a smile off her lips. "Embarrassed to let me know that you're partying? As if I can't already assume that?"

Anger flashed across his honey-colored eyes and he stepped away from her. "Is that all you think I do? Just party with girls? Get drunk every night?"

"Wait, wait." Raven held up her hands, stopping his outburst before it got out of hand. This was the last thing she needed to think about right now. "Are you telling me that I'm wrong? You _are _a serial partier, Roy. It's just what you are. I've accepted that."

He glared at her for a moment before turning and walking away, throwing up his hands. "Whatever you want to believe, Raven."

Raven stood there, her heels sinking into the sand, staring at his back as he stormed away and closer to the other Titans meandering down the golden, sun-soaked sand. Wally said something just out of range of Raven's hearing, and Roy snickered, glancing back at her before turning away again.

Something black blossomed over her heart and she glared at him. What in the world was hi _problem_. Of course he was a serial partier, it was something that she had simply accepted over the years. She wasn't necessarily happy about it, but he was the one that made those decisions, not her. There was no need for his silly temper tantrum.

Although, perhaps she shouldn't be so quick to judge either.

"I swear to the goddess, it's like trying to date a two year-old," Raven muttered under her breath and rolled her eyes. She kicked off her shoes finally and sat down in the sand, fighting with her stockings. She poked a finger through a run in the white nylon and swore vehemently as she pulled them off her feet.

"Stupid costume. Stupid spell. Stupid Roy."

"Raven?"

At the sound of her name, she looked out into the ocean and watched as a dark figure moved through the water towards her. The surf moved around the shape, splashing as it came in contact with the shore. Raven pulled back slightly, confused and concerned as to what was actually approaching her.

"Oh, my god, Raven! It is you!" A human torso burst from the water as waves sprayed along the rocks by the shore. Through the white foam and mist, Raven caught a familiar shape reaching out to her and waving. "Raven! It's me!"

Raven stared at the shoulder-length hair and dark eyes carefully, trying to figure out exactly _who _was calling her. After all, she still didn't quite trust the rest of the spell, it could have been anyone or any_thing_. But those features were unmistakable.

"Garth…"

"Thank Poseidon!"

You could say that again. She hadn't seen a speck of sanity since yesterday. It was like manna from heaven seeing someone who might actually be able to carry on a normal conversation, and maybe even talk magic. Ignoring her clothes, Raven ran out into the shallow water, waves lapping at her bare legs and petticoat as she waded through the surf towards him.

"Garth, what in the world are you doing, swimming in the… holy hell!"

Raven was caught so off-guard by the rest of Garth's form, that she tumbled into the water, petticoat and all. The current swirled and twisted around her, dragging her and her body down under the water until she couldn't see light through the blue, frothy foam that surrounded her. Scrambling for air, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and pulled her up through the waves until she broke the surface of the water. As he kept her afloat, Raven tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of a large, thick, fishtail rubbing up against her thighs, and focus instead on the feeling of his arms around her.

"What… what happened to you!" Raven's arms wrapped around his shoulders to try and keep herself from falling back into the water. "You're… a…" She let her words trail off at the I'm-going-to-kill-you-if-you-say-it expression he was giving her, and snapped her mouth shut.

"I'm going to guess a spell happened to me." He pulled her into more shallow water and stared into her face as he set her in the sand. "And a strong one at that. I've got none of my powers, I can't communicate with _any_ of the sea life here, and I haven't been able to move water like I should. I've been swimming up and down this coast for the past three days looking for… _something._ Anything. I'm glad you found me because I was thinking I had either gone insane, or I was dead and in hell."

Raven looked at him, her eyes trailing over the shape of his large, blue-green tail, flopping around in the shallow water. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the shape of his body as he moved closer to her, and who could blame her. He was a freaking _mermaid_. Like something out of a child's story book. Of course, she didn't exactly have any room to talk either.

"I'm without my powers too." She frowned, feeling the words jump from her lips before she had a chance to censor them. "You're a fish."

"I'm a merman. Not a fish." He rolled his eyes and leaned on his stomach to try and stop himself from being drug back out to the sea, and to lay next to her. His hands sunk into the sand and he looked up into her face. "By day anyway, which is weird. At night I can prowl around like any other normal human."

"You change at night into a human? That doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard of before… or kind of like Swan Lake… only Merman Lake? Sea?" Raven's attempt at humor seemed lost on him, and he continued to stare at her as his expression transformed into something akin to shut-up-or-I-might-actually-kill-you. Snapping her mouth shut a second time, she pushed her hair out of her face, knowing she looked like a drowned rat. She looked over his fishtailed body again. "So, you're a were-merman?"

He gave her another deadpan expression. "Thanks for that poignent thought, and I thought you were supposed to be the smart one… Although, I guess you're right."

"I am the smart one." Raven sniffed indignantly. "But, look at you, you change at night into a human from a merman, like a _were_-merman. Or a swan. Take your pick."

"You're not helping."

"Sorry." She shrugged and wrung the water from her hair, pulling her legs to her chest. "Well, if it's any consolation, Mas and Menos only speak German and Roy is… well, still Roy. But significantly more annoying right now because I have to spend every waking moment with him."

He chuckled, but didn't look like he was all that surprised. "Are you two fighting again? It doesn't even matter if we're trapped in a spell, you're still at each other's throats, I'm sure."

"Well, he's a pain in the ass no matter the situation. What more do you expect?" Raven tried not to think about how Roy's _mouth_ had been at her throat just yesterday. Something in her belly boiled and fizzled for a moment and she blushed, turning away from her friend. She pulled herself out of the water and onto the sand, watching as Garth stayed as close as he could to her without actually getting out of the water.

"Have you seen anyone else since you've been here?"

"No. I looked everywhere, hoping I could find Bee or Robin. Although I'm glad you found Mas and Menos. I was worried about them." He shook his head, frowning. "I was almost positive it was just me for a while. I swam up the coast a ways and saw some things I didn't think existed, like a crumbling castle and I'm pretty sure a hydra. But other than that… nothing. You're the first teammate I've seen in three days."

"A _hydra_?" Raven groaned and rubbed her head, trying to fight the panic that was rising into her chest. "I seriously hope I don't have to fight a hydra. I might actually _kill _Mumbo if I have to fight a hydra."

"Kill Mumbo? Fight the hydra?" Garth held his head in his hands, as if he had a sudden headache. "What in the world are you talking about? I thought this was just a spell."

"Well, it is… sort of. It's also a trial of sorts. I guess. Maybe." Raven pulled off her petticoat and threw it into the sand.

"Enlighten me, Raven, because I'm at my wit's end."

"I'll try." She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "So, here's the gist of it all: Mumbo is an idiot-psycho who teamed up with Malchior, a devious dragon, to put us into this spell. The spell is _massive _and incredibly intricate, but has some _serious _flaws. We _can_ get out of the spell, but _only_ if someone completes a task designated for us. We don't necessarily have to complete _our_ task, but once the task is complete, we still get booted off the island."

He held up his hand to keep her from continuing. "Wait. What? That makes no sense."

"Trust me, I _know_. I've been trying to figure it out for the past few days. At least, I _think_ that's how the pattern works. Yesterday, I ran into Star and Bee in the woods, and then we all ran into Mumbo outside of Hansel and Gretel's candy hut… Roy and I defeated Mumbo, who was dressed as Hansel and Gretel's witch. Which was _apparently_ Star and Bee's task, so _they_ got sent out of the spell, and I get still get stuck in a petticoat and a perky smile."

Garth snorted. "Somehow the idea of you in a perky smile sounds… not realistic."

"Focus here, Garth. I'm trying to continue."

He looked sheepish for a moment. "Sorry. Go ahead."

"The thing I don't think either Mumbo or Malchior planned for was that when tasks are completed, a little bit of the spell is broken at a time. So, the threads get weaker and weaker until the spell is so thin, it will be broken with more ease." She paused and rubbed her head, trying to ward off a headache. "I've trying to get all hands on deck, because if we can find the source of the magic, and if the threads are thin enough, we can have everyone try and attack and we can finally be free…" There was a long pause. "... and I can _finally _punch Mumbo in his stupid nose and kick him in the testicles until he's a woman."

"Scary." Garth pulled back a little before laughing. "Well, now I know _not _to piss you off."

"Yeah, well…" Raven glared at empty space in front of her, imagining Mumbo's head on a platter. "He hasn't exactly given me reason to try and be nice to him. Between what happened to me last time he tried to play around with magic and now this stupid spell, I'm amazed I _haven't _murdered him." She picked herself out of the surf and dragged her waterlogged body onto the sand, cursing under her breath. She had been through hell left right and sideways with this stupid _costume_ and she wanted (for just _one day_), to be clean and dry. She was tired of being wet.

"You said you found Mas and Menos, where are they?"

"Oh, with Roy I'm sure. Wally, Mas, and Menos are probably running down the beach somewhere, completely oblivious to the fact that this spell can kill them." She motioned towards the stretch of sand lining the blue ocean. "We should probably go catch up with them or they'll wander off and I'll have to find them again. Can you swim along the shoreline and follow us?"

"Yeah." Garth nodded. He looked out towards the rest of the ocean and then back towards the coast, trying to calculate something in his head. "I've got about four more hours until I'm a… _were-man_ as you so _politely_ put it."

Raven shrugged, unrepentant. She didn't exactly have another name for him.

"So, we're going to have to find shelter for the night. I know there's a cave a few miles up the coast. I saw it a few days ago when I was looking for the rest of our friends. We should stop there to rest and try and figure out what our next move should be."

"Mm. I agree." Raven stood up and grabbed the rest of her clothing on the beach, bundling it into a soggy, wet ball in her hands. She looked down at her clothes and then back at Garth. "You don't happen to know where I can get some dry clothes… or at least _pants_? I'm tired of running around looking like a stripper."

Garth chuckled politely behind his hand. "Oh, I don't know, I think the outfit is kinda cute."

Raven's face fell and she glared at him. "Not you too."

He laughed again. "I guess Roy hasn't given you a moment of reprieve." There was a pause as he watched her, something unreadable and dark swimming in his eyes. "You know you're his favorite subject to tease, and I'm sure seeing you run around in a skirt has been non-stop enjoyment for him."

"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off, ignoring his knowing smile. "Don't remind me."

"To answer your question, there's a shipwreck next to the cave a few miles ahead." He shrugged. "It's been there awhile, but I might be able to see if I can find some clothes in it for you. It's a shot in the dark, so don't get your hopes up, but I can see why you might not want to wander around in a bustier and a petticoat."

"Thanks." She offered him an appreciative smile and started up the coast in the direction the boys had headed in. He had to move into deeper water to follow her better, but he kept good pace with her. "So, how much of this spell have you seen at night?"

There was a long pause and he seemed to ponder that question for a moment. "Enough for me to notice that there's a significant difference between the spell during the day and the spell at night."

Raven nodded in agreement. "That's what Roy and I were thinking after yesterday. I've got a hunch that Mumbo has control most of the day, it's got his mark of slapstick comedy all over it, plus every adversary I've come across has his same hook-nose."

"But at night you're thinking Malchior controls the spell?"

"Yeah. The threads of the spell are woven entirely different during the night, it's the same spell, but it's far more dangerous. Adversaries are _real _threats to us, and there isn't anything that seems like Mumbo." She shivered as a memory slid down her spine. "I was accosted by a kappa on the first night."

"Ew." Even with the distance between them, Raven could see the way Garth shuddered. "I can't imagine what the hell _that_ felt like."

"Disgusting." Raven shrugged. "We were lucky not to run into anything last night, but I have the distinct feeling that Malchior is getting restless." She briefly debated on telling him about her dream, but realized she didn't want to worry him anymore. Malchior might be trying to invade her dreams, but that was her problem and not his.

There was a long pause as Garth tried to piece everything together. Finally he stopped swimming and looked over at her, confusion and concern lining his expression. "What exactly are you trying to tell me without _actually_ telling me, Raven? That Malchior is looking for you?"

Raven shrugged again, but continued to ignore the small feeling of panic and fear that bubbled up into her chest. "The truth is that I'm sure he harbors ill will for what I did to him, for betraying him and putting him back in the book. I don't blame him for being angry, but he earned every single ounce of my wrath."

"Once again. Remind me _not _to ever be on your bad side."

"I just don't know how much longer our peaceful nights are going to last."

"You've only had one."

"One is too many."

She looked up ahead and saw four figures milling around in the sand. She waved and shouted, watching as Roy looked her way. Even from this distance, and without her powers, she could still tell he was upset with her. For what? For telling the truth? Raven winced and looked away, feeling a little silly. She knew that Roy had a past, that he had a lot of baggage that Raven hadn't even bothered trying to open yet, and yet she just shoved accusations in his face.

She sighed and looked up at the sky, fighting the overwhelming feeling of remorse running through her veins. If she knew that having a relationship was going to be _this _taxing and this much work, she would have stayed single and celibate her entire life. And would be considerably happier, she was sure of that.

"Raven." He walked through the distance towards her. "Where did you go?"

"I found Garth." She pointed out towards the ocean, as Garth slid up on the sand in the more shallow end of the ocean, dragging his giant fish tale with him.

Roy stared at him for a moment.

Garth stared back.

And then he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Laugh."

Roy let go of a laugh that threatened to burst Raven's eardrums. He laughed for a good minute straight before he managed to get his breathing under control. "Well… fishboy. Looks like you've finally got your wish to be one with the fishes. Or should I call you Ariel?"

"Don't be an ass, dude." Garth rolled his eyes again. "I don't _want_ to be like this. It's not like I asked to be a…" He trailed off, but Roy didn't miss a beat.

"A merman?"

Raven sighed and shook her head. "Both of you, calm down." She turned to Roy and motioned ahead. "Garth says there's a cave a few miles up the shore. The sun sets in about four or five hours, so I suggest we keep walking and try to get there as soon as we can."

He nodded. "Alright. Is dolphin lover over there going to be able to keep up with us?"

Garth glared. "I will follow you from the deeper part of the sea. I can keep up _just fine_."

"Okay. No need to be an ass."

Raven crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "That goes for you too, Roy."

He sighed and waved her off. "Fine, fine. Come on, let's get going. I think the boys are getting hungry enough to eat Wally if we don't keep them busy."

Raven shrugged. "I'm sure he wouldn't miss an arm or two."

Both of the boys stared at her in horror.

"It was a joke."

)O(

_So I made the editorial decision to break up this chapter. It was originally much longer and going to be significantly epic, but I had to break it up because it was just too much to digest all at once. That being said, I should have the next chapter up by tomorrow. So, keep your fingers crossed I don't get distracted._

_Anyway, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!_


	9. The Heart-to-Heart and the Cave Troll

**Little Blue Riding Hood**

Chapter Eight: In Which Little Blue has a Heart-to-Heart with the Merman, and Robin Hood and She Fight a Cave Troll

)O(

Raven listened to the echoing laughter of her teammates as they played in they joked around while setting up camp in the massive mouth of the cave. She sat a few yards away, enjoying the surprisingly peaceful moment as she watched the pale blue of the sky transform into darker, more vibrant colors. For a moment, it felt almost nice.

And then she remembered _where _she was and frowned.

"Don't look like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're about two seconds away from punching someone."

She glanced up and stared at Garth as he drug his half-fish body up onto the sand, carrying with him a few bundles of wet clothes. Behind him, a shipwreck spiked into the sky like giant jagged thorns, beaten and battered by the waves, sun, and sand. It didn't look like anything could have survived in all that, but Garth was giving it his best shot, and Raven was desperate enough to keep her hopes up that she might actually wear something suitable for fighting things while trapped within the spell.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything about the water, but I did manage to find you some clothes that are not a dress or a corset in a trunk, in relatively good condition, and might actually fit you." He laid out a pair of pants, a loose linen shirt, and a pair of soft, leather boots.

To Raven, it looked like she had hit the jackpot. It didn't matter if they were wet or not, it wasn't a dress.

"I'll take it." Too focused on the prospect of getting wear _pants_, and forgetting that she wasn't exactly _alone_, she stripped out of her dress and tossed it into the sand.

"Poseidon, Raven!" Garth turned around and covered his eyes, obviously trying to give her some semblance of privacy. "At least have the decency to warn me when you are going to do that. We're friends and all, but I didn't think we were at that point in our friendship yet."

"Sorry!" She wiggled out of her still-damp undergarments and yanked on the wet clothes. The water was annoying, but she had _pants_, so there wasn't a whole lot that could bother her now. "I've been traipsing around in that stupid dress for days. I hate it, it's annoying, and it's not doing me _any_ good at all."

She yanked the linen shirt over her head and sighed in delight. _Real clothes._ She laced up the neck of the linen shirt, and tied it around her neck. She felt a bit like a pirate, but it was better than running around looking like a fantasy slut. She brushed her hands down the front of her clothes. "Okay, you can turn around if you want."

Garth cautiously turned his head and lowered his hand from his eyes. There was a slow pause as his eyes traveled over her body, and a small smile spread across his lips. "It looks good. Well, at the very least it looks a bit like you might be able to move around more." He glanced at the boots. "I might wait until the boots are dry to put them on. But you've gotten out of the dress, so that's something."

"Thanks, Garth." She pushed her hair off her face and stared out at the sunset for a moment. "I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem, I'm glad I could help at least a little… I know that this body isn't exactly conducive to fighting, so at least I'm useful for something." He chuckled. "Although, I guess all it really takes is new clothes to make a girl happy."

Raven rolled her eyes and sat down next to him on the sand. As she stared down at his tail, she noticed that a few flecks of blue-green tainted the otherwise white sand. They were his scales, which meant that he was turning into a human soon. "How much longer to you have?"

"Just a little bit. Probably another fifteen minutes or so." He rubbed his tail and frowned as more of his scales shed from his body. "Um, it's not exactly a pretty or pleasant process, so if you want to head back to the cave, I don't blame you."

Raven shrugged and sat next to him, picking up one of the scales his body had shed. "You're my friend, the least I can do is stay with you."

"Well, I appreciate the support." He looked away. "But it's kind of disgusting and embarrassing."

Raven rolled her eyes and looked out at the waves crashing along the surf. "I'm not easily swayed by silly things like that. You should know that by now, Garth."

Sensing he probably wasn't going to win against her, Garth shook his head and followed her line of sight, watching the waves as the sun set slowly over the surf and the sea died down for the evening. It was peaceful, and Raven almost enjoyed the moment between them. She was usually so caught up in keeping herself sane, that she really forgot to appreciate how _beautiful_ the spell was.

Of course, it was also terrifying as well.

The silence turned tense and Garth fidgeted for a moment, as if he was trying to think of something to ask her, but wasn't sure _how _to ask her.

Raven sighed and looked over at him. "What is it?"

A sheepish look crossed his face, and his hands folded in his lap as he twiddled his thumbs. "I want to ask something, but I don't know how to ask it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Try."

"I know better than to just open my mouth and spout off what's on my mind, Raven." He rolled his eyes. "You're always ready to seriously threaten someone if they say something that will piss you off."

"I seem to have this reputation that I'm some devious overlord, ready to fly off the handle at the first ill spoken word." Raven sighed. "I'm powerless if it makes you feel any better. I can't _actually_ kill you, at least not yet."

"That does nothing to ease my fear, but okay." He chuckled. "I just want to know, what's going on with you and Roy?"

Well, _that _was not the question she was expecting. Raven felt color flood her face and she feigned ignorance, instead choosing to draw random patterns in the sand. Logically, she _knew _her friends would figure things out eventually (after all, the relationship between her and Roy was almost painfully obvious), and they would start asking questions. But, she didn't expect to have to confront those questions _here_ in the middle of a spell, and she certainly didn't expect to have to confront them with Garth.

"What do you mean?"

Garth rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You know exactly what I mean. You two have been simultaneously at each other's throats and somehow magically civil to each other at the same time. I didn't even know that was _possible_." He sighed and leaned back on his arms, staring over at her. "So, what's going on between the two of you?"

Raven continued to stare at the sand, keeping her mouth shut.

"Look, I'm not going to push you to talk if you don't want to, but I know that _something_ happened between you two a few months ago… I'm not stupid, I can see the change in both of you. Hell, Roy's been a completely different person ever since your last episode with Mumbo, and it's not my place to pry, but both of you are my friends and I don't want to see either of you hurt."

Raven dropped his scale and rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling cold in the waning light and wet clothes. "We're nothing yet."

"Yet? As in you might be on the verge of something?" Garth looked over at her. He sighed again and shook his head. "I won't lie, Raven, Roy's changed a lot since the last time you two were together. I mean… _a lot_. He might as well be a completely different person. He never parties, he hasn't had a girl in months, and he's… _responsible. _Sometimes it scares the hell out of me seeing how mature he's become. It's almost like he's waiting for something."

Raven stared at him, knowing her blush was evident on her face. She knew exactly why Roy was upset with her now. He had been making a serious and consistent effort to try and change himself, and she had just thrown all of his hard work back in his face because he had a past. She, of all people, should have known that people can overcome their pasts, but she chose to point it out to him. She really was going to be a sucky girlfriend.

"Like he's been waiting for _you_, Raven." His eyes darkened as a serious expression threaded across his face as he watched her surprise. "Don't get me wrong, Raven. I don't want you to think I'm telling you this because I'm making some kind of case for him. Really, I'm glad he's at least changing, but at the same time… I don't want you the two to be doing this for the wrong reasons."

"Like what?"

"Like physical attraction." He shrugged and picked at one of his scales. "Roy is a good looking guy. I mean, wait…" He sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, that sounds kinda gay, but I don't know how else to say it. He's attractive to girls, and maybe that's why he can be the way he is sometimes, but I don't want you to become just another notch on the bedpost." There was another, long pause. "I don't want you either of you to forget that you're both _people_, first and foremost."

Raven shrugged, her eyes still not meeting his. What he was saying was nothing new to her. She had pondered these same things for months, even before they had gotten trapped in the spell. She wanted to believe in the idea that he could could change for the better. If she couldn't believe that he could change and that there was something _more _than physical attraction between them, then what could she believe in?

Her eyes finally met Garth's dark ones. "I've thought of that, you know. I'm not completely stupid, Garth. I know he has a past, and I know that there are times when that past might come up to bite me, but I have to believe that Roy can change. I want to have faith that maybe he is different."

Garth stared at her for a long while, as if trying to read her honesty between her words. He seemed satisfied and gave a short nod in agreement. "Well, if that's the case and you honestly believe that Roy can change for the better, then I wish the best of luck to both of you."

Raven felt a smirk peel across her lips. "Thanks."

He gave a somewhat dramatic sigh. "Although I won't lie, I'm kinda bummed."

"Why?" Raven stared at him in confusion.

"I never had a chance to try and date you."

Color drained from her face and she jerked back in surprise. "_What_?"

"I'm just kidding!" He laughed. "You should see the look on your face though, it's priceless. It's like the thought of having another guy after you is going to throw you into a fit of rage."

She continued to stare at him. "Because it _will_."

He continued to laugh at her, but the sound was quickly cut off by a groan and he doubled over in pain, his fingers burying in the sand as if desperately searching for something to cling to. He coughed and sputtered curses from behind clenched teeth as his joints creaked and popped under the pressure.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I forewarned you that this was _not _a pretty sight."

"It's okay. I'm here." Raven rubbed her hand down his back, knowing her words sounded cliche and stupid, but at least she was trying to offer some kind of support and encouragement. The only thing she could see was the pain that rippled through him, and all she could think about was that he had to go through this every night. It really was a curse.

He bit back another expletive from between his teeth, and his hand unconsciously went to find was a lurch and the scales rained off of his skin, scattering into the sand as his tail seemed to be split into two by some invisible cleaver. Skin ribboned out from under the scales, wrapping around his bones and pushing more of his blue-green scales out of the way.

"Poseidon. Make it stop."

His pain nearly ripped through Raven and she held him. "I'm so sorry, Garth."

He cursed some more, his hand holding hers so tight that it threatened to break her bones. "It's almost over. I just have to get through this."

Minutes passed, and his groans faded into short gasps of breath and soft, barely audible whimpers. Finally the sounds of creaking and breaking stopped, and he lay prone on the sand, heaving into the inky darkness as his eyes looked up at the stars. Raven ran her hand down her shoulder and leaned over him, looking into his eyes to see if he was going to be all right.

"Are you okay?"

He pushed his sweat-soaked hair out of his face. "Good enough."

"I wish I could help with the pain."

He smiled up at her. "You did enough. Thanks."

"Ahem."

Raven turned around to see Roy standing behind her, arms crossed over his chest, his lips pursed as if he's just had a lemon shoved down his throat. "Sorry, if I'm interrupting anything, but I just wanted to let you know that the tide is coming in and we should probably move our camp to higher ground within the cave." He paused and his eyes focused on Garth behind her, his frown deepening. "And maybe you should put on some pants."

Confused, Raven turned back to look at her friend, only to discover that he was in fact, _completely _naked. Color flooded her face and she jumped away from him as if she'd been burned. "Goddess! You're naked!"

"Sorry!" He scrambled for another pair of pants that he had pulled from the shipwreck and yanked them on quickly. "Sorry! It happens when I transform, I didn't mean for you to see me like that, Raven, really."

"Whatever." Roy rolled his eyes and pointed to the opening of the cave, where flickering light could still be seen dancing along the stone walls. "I have the guys starting to move the fire, if you could help them move it to higher ground within the cave, that would be great." There was short pause and he looked over at Raven, his expression unreadable. "I just want to have a second to talk to Raven."

"Ah." He looked sheepish and started for the mouth of the cave quickly. Halfway there, he stopped and turned around to look at his two friends. "Really, Roy, it _was _an accident. I didn't mean for that to happen. Don't be upset with her."

"Not helping, Garth."

Garth winced and walked away, trying to salvage himself before he riled Roy up any more. Roy could seem like a pretty happy-go-lucky guy most of the time, but there was an underlying seriousness to him, and Garth certainly did not want to be on the receiving end of it. Sighing, he walked away from the couple and headed into the cave with Wally and the boys.

Roy watched him go for a moment, then turned and stared down at Raven, his mouth slashing into a frown. He crossed his arms over his chest and moved closer to her, as if he was about to scold her. "Want to tell me what that was all about?"

"Tell you about _what_, exactly?" Raven raised an eyebrow and stared up at him. "We were talking, he changed, I didn't realize that _clothes _were going to be a significant issue. I…" Raven stopped herself before she said something she would regret, and sighed. "I don't see what the issue is, Roy. It was an accident. Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't matter." He shrugged and kicked at the sand, suddenly avoiding her eyes. "It's just that he was _naked_, Raven. I mean, I thought you of all people wouldn't go off gallivanting with just anyone. I thought maybe you had standards or something."

"That's _low_, Roy. You know it wasn't like that. You _know_ it was an accident, so why are you trying to stir something up?" Raven rolled her eyes and shook her head. Why did he have to be like this? Why did he have to fight her at every turn? Of course, it wasn't like she helped the situation either. "Besides, you know that I wasn't _gallivanting_. He was getting me clothes from the shipwreck and then he changed. It's not like I was trying to ride him like a pony or anything."

Roy's face turned red and he growled, eyes narrowing at her. "Well, when you put it like that, I can totally see how there's _nothing _going on between you two."

Raven gave him a deadpan stare. "I can't believe you're actually jealous."

"I am _not jealous._" He continued to glare at her. "But you were lying with him _naked_. What am I supposed to think?"

"_I _wasn't naked. He was." Raven rolled her eyes and sighed. "And you _are _jealous."

"That's not the point, Raven."

"Then what is?"

"The point is that you're getting all buddy-buddy with Garth!"

"So, you _are _jealous."

"I am not!" He stepped up to her, moving easily into her space without thinking about it. His eyes darkened and Raven could see something black and poisonous slid behind his eyes, like a stain on his soul. "I'm not jealous. I'm just… I don't know, seeing the two of you together makes me angry. I know that he's your friend, I know that he's smarter, I know that he's better company and conversation, and seeing the two of you cozy up with each other… it just reminds me how… _inadequate _I am."

Raven pulled back in surprise. "Inadequate? Is that what this is about?"

He opened his mouth to say something else, but a low, piercing scream stopped him before he could finish. It echoed off the sand and into the stillness of the night, ripping apart the moment as if it meant nothing. Raven pulled away from him quickly, running off towards the sound in the darkness of the cave. Roy trailed right behind her, his footsteps nearly silent on the sand.

Raven cursed. Of _course _something would happen when her defenses were down and when she was distracted. It couldn't happen when they were keeping watch and trying to make sure they stayed safe. What _else_ could possibly go wrong tonight?

A _troll_.

Well, _that _was certainly something going inexplicably _wrong_.

She ran into the mouth of the cave and saw a huge troll barrelling down the hall, Mas hanging precariously from his fingers as Menos and Wally tried to maneuver around it without enraging the beast any more. He sniffed the air, its head and eyes turning wildly in every direction as it was bombarded with a barrage of new smells and sounds.

"He came out of the back of the cave!" Wally yelled at them. "I'm trying to get Mas out of his hand, but I'm not sure if I'm fast enough!"

"Shit." She cursed up a storm and raced forward, automatically shifting her mind and body into battle mode. Behind her, she heard Roy nock an arrow into place, aiming for the eyes. Not that it would do much good, the creature was a _cave _troll, it was nearly blind anyway. Its sense of smell, however, was going to be the end of them. Especially Wally, seeing as he smelled like dessert.

"Wally and Garth! Get Mas and Menos out of here, Roy and I can take him down."

"Raven, are you _fucking_ insane!?" Garth _never_ swore, this must have been serious. "That thing will not hesitate to kill you!"

"I know, and he won't hesitate to kill you either. Besides, it's nothing I can't handle." Raven moved toward the side of the wall, scrambling for hand and foot holds along the side of the rock. If she could just get to a higher point than the troll, she would have the advantage. From there, her and Roy would be able to coordinate their attacks. Her muscles burned from the unusual exertion, but adrenaline fueled her progress. Dirt slid under her fingers, and she slipped, cursing again as her fingers tried to grasp out at anything. Luckily, she managed to grab ahold of another small hand hold and pull her weight higher.

She struggled to keep her balance, but from her new vantage point, she could see Roy pacing around the cavern, trying to get into position to send an arrow into the beast's eyes. A moment passed, and an arrow sailed past Raven's cheek and into the skin of the monster. He barely noticed the scratch, as if it were a pin in the side of an elephant.

Damnit. How were they going to bring this thing down?

And then, there it was. Raven saw a huge, old cutlass sticking out of the underside of his left shoulder as if it were a thorn in his side. The skin around it was healed and scarred, like it had been there for a long while and the troll's body had simply adjusted to the wound..

It was a long-shot, but maybe Raven could pull it out.

Roy saw the cutlass and his eyes darted back to her face. "Raven, don't do it! It's too dangerous and you're going to get yourself killed!"

Too late.

The opportunity presented itself and she didn't hesitate. Raven jumped from her perch on the side of the cavern wall and pushed outward, her hands wrapping around the hilt of the cutlass and throwing all her force and her weight pulling into the attack. She dangled there for a moment, like Wile E Coyote, and then the skin gave under her weight. There was a sickening lurch and the sound of ripping leather, and an even more foul smell, then the cutlass sprung free, blood and infectious pus spilling from the new wound.

Raven nearly lost the contents of her stomach from the smell alone.

The troll howled in pain, dropping Mas as it blindly scrambled for Raven. She rolled out of the way of the trail of blood, and somehow managed to catch Mas before he hit the hard rock of the cavern floor. Garth sprung forward, his hands grabbing Mas from her. He rolled out of the way of another blind attack, and grabbed Menos as he made his way for the mouth of the cave and into safety. The troll, sensing the movement, ran forward and raced after them, ignoring the puny arrows that bounced off his skin and onto the floor.

Cursing again, Raven raced forward with her blood-covered cutlass and slid under him, finding the soft, fleshy part of his underbelly to stab the blade into. The blade took some maneuvering and more force than expected, but it slid through the skin and blood dripped down the blade and onto the floor.

The troll howled again and reached out for her, grasping at anything that possibly moved.

Roy, being the genius that he was, stepped around the troll to try and get a better position.

Damnit.

The troll saw the movement and reacted. He stumbled forward, his own movements suddenly slowed down by the two new wounds in his body, and reached out for the brightly colored archer. Roy ducked out of the way, grabbing another arrow from his quiver and nocking it into place.

"Get out of the way, Roy! He's coming for you!"

"I know!"

Roy barely missed rock to the head and glared at Raven for forcing him to yell at her. He shot another arrow at the troll's eyes, but the beast was too enraged to care at this point. Cursing again, Raven rolled from underneath the troll and jumped up its back. Her fingers and feet grabbing onto anything she could find in his flesh; wounds, scars, and whatever passed for ragged, leather clothing. Finally she reached his shoulders, and the troll was now spinning around in circles, trying to get the strange creature off its back.

Muttering an apology under her breath, Raven raised the cutlass high above her head and brought the blade down, stabbing it deep into the toll's spinal cord, severing the connection with the rest of the body.

There was a whimper and another lurch.

And then the troll fell face-first to the cavern floor, dead.

Raven stayed in her position for a moment, gasping for breath while being surrounded by the putrid scent of cave troll. She heard Roy approach her cautiously, his footsteps light and careful on the floor.

"Don't worry, he's dead." She picked herself up and groaned, wiping blood and pus from her body as she untangled herself from the troll's shoulders. All of this right after she had gotten new clothes, it was like the universe was trying to work against her. She sighed and looked up at Roy, who was staring at her with an expression that was a mixture of shock, pride, and fury.

)O(

_I've already started on chapter nine._  
_Anyway, let me know what you think!_


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